where is mercury found in everyday life

Unborn children are most at risk from methylmercury poisoning. Mercury is a toxic substance that can cause neurological disorders and damage to the nervous system. Also people use it in chemistry because it's very well understood. Mercury can also be found … Mercury is a natural liquid element found in small amounts in rocks. Mercury is a naturally occurring heavy metal, found throughout the environment. Mercury is a naturally occurring element. Mercury is a metal found in the environment, including in the water, air and soil. It is commonly known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum (/ h aɪ ˈ d r ɑːr dʒ ər ə m / hy-DRAR-jər-əm). Elemental mercury is poisonous, producing mental and coordination problems, so people have moved away from mercury thermometers and other everyday uses. Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. Foods Containing Mercury. It is primarily mined from cinnabar (mercury sulfide), which is a bright red mineral, sometimes called vermilion, found in Spain and Italy. Mercury vapors are toxic for people but it's widely used in everyday life (thermometers) and in science too. Mercury toxicity can lead to many harmful health effects. While fish might come to mind first when you think of mercury contamination, other foods besides fish can contain mercury. Mercury (sometimes called quicksilver) is naturally found in rocks and soils, and is liquid at room temperature. You can be exposed to mercury by breathing the vapors, through skin contact or by eating foods contaminated with mercury. Exposure to mercury – even small amounts – may cause serious health problems, and is a threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life. Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil. Mercury has been found in the deepest part of the Earth’s oceans, the 11,000-metre-deep Mariana Trench in the northwest Pacific. Mercury is not found as a pure element in nature. U.S. archaeologist George Cowgill, who's devoted his life to unearthing the site, said the mercury find is just the beginning. It often contaminates air and water when emitted from factories as part of industrial waste. Mercury is a naturally occurring element, but it can also be released into the environment from the burning of coal and oil. The mercury in fish has been converted to methylmercury, which is more toxic than the element found in household products. It is an extremely heavy metal, but is rarely found as a pure metal in nature. In this article: Where mercury is found, what it does in our body, and how to avoid or treat mercury exposure. It is mined from mercury ores, such as cinnabar (also called vermilion). To locate mercury in the home, start by checking your gauges and meters. 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