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[Thematic Report] Negative Effects of Mercury |
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by Seojin Lee | 19-04-2020 17:12
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China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, was obsessed with finding a potion that would allow himself to live forever (1). Unfortunately, his life was thought to be cut short because he drank mercury, a substance now known not only to be unhealthy but poisonous and is considered a major public health concern (5). Although mercury is a rare element (2), it can cause plenty of problems not only to humans but also to the environment.
Humans can be exposed to mercury in many different ways (5). However, the most significant way of exposure to mercury is by consuming contaminated fish. An example of this happened in Minamata, a city in Japan. Between 1936 and 1968, a factory disposed liquid waste containing large amounts of mercury into the Minamata Bay. Because the citizens did not know of this contamination, they continued to eat the contaminated seafood, which resulted in over 50,000 affected citizens (5). Humans exposed to mercury in large amounts in a short time like what happened in Minamata are likely to experience many negative effects. These include neurological and behavioral disorders such as tremors, insomnia, headaches, and even memory loss (5). Not only will it cause harm to humans who were exposed to mercury themselves, it is especially harmful to unborn babies when a pregnant woman is exposed to the substance. When this occurs, the baby might experience physical and mental disabilities which will affect its cognitive thinking, memory, and much more (5). However, humans aren't the only species that are affected by this substance. Many organisms that feed on fishes are also affected, like eagles and seals (4). In this way, whole food chains in the ecosystem may be affected. Similarly, humpback dolphins in Hong Kong, beluga whales in Greenland and some birds in Canada are all negatively influenced by this "major health hazard (3)." Mercury contamination is a worldwide issue in both human health and environmental ecosystems. The substance is clearly capable of destroying the inhabitants of the environment, so we must do everything we can in order to prevent even more damage to wildlife. We can start by terminating the careless disposals of harmful substances into bodies of water filled with thriving organisms, or by stopping those factory productions in general by boycotting its products. Sources:
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14 Comments
Hello seojin
I hope you are doing well
Worth reading
Thank you so much for the report
Keep writing
Green cheers
Regards
Asmita Gaire
Posted 03-08-2021 03:57
Hello,
Its me Dibya Bhatta from Nepal,Currently living in South Korea for my research Internship.
It was really nice reading your report!
keep writing and shining!! :)
If you have any queries related to this internship, You can find me on twitter as :
https://twitter.com/Divine_Tweets
stay safe from coronavirus!
keep working for mother earth to hand it to future generations!
Green cheers!
Posted 27-04-2020 10:25
Hi Seojin, this is a mentor Sang Su Lee.
I did not know that Mercury which is frequently used in making a thermometer can cause severe damages not only to humans but also to animals. It's then indispensable to prevent mercury release to the environment as you've mentioned.
Thank you for your research and article. I learned a lot!
Green cheers~
Posted 23-04-2020 01:16
Hello
Thank you so much for this report
Keep writing keep shining
Regards
Susmita
Posted 23-04-2020 00:47
Hello Seojin Lee!
I hope you are doing great!!
Mercury is also known as quicksliver for its mobility.
Thanks for sharing negative impacts of mercury,I enjoyed going through your report.
Hope to know more from you!
GREEN CHEERS!!
Regards,
Sonika
Posted 21-04-2020 12:21
Hello Seojin Lee!!
I do hope that you are fine and doing great with your works.
Thank you for your report about Negative Effects of Mercury
Green Cheers from Nepal :)
Keep writing great reports.
We are eager to read more reports from you.
Regards,
Kushal Naharki
Posted 21-04-2020 03:37
Hello Seojin Lee, this is mentor Taehyun.
Thank you for the report about the mercury. Mercury is the only metal in which its state in the room temperature is liquid. So, many ancient people curious about that and as you've said, the tomb in the emperor Qin, there is a pond of mercury. But, mercury is really critical for our health and for the environment, as you've said. Mercury accumulation through marine biosystems can also affect us. So, it is really serious. We have to use mercury really carefully!
Thank you for the report!
Green cheers!
Posted 20-04-2020 22:41
Hi Seojin Lee,
its me Bal krishna Pandey from Nepal.
You have presented mercury poisoning with examples and this is enough to know how poisonous this chemical is. we should be careful while eating fish, amalgam based dental fillings, or exposure at work.
cheers
Posted 20-04-2020 14:51
Thank you so much for sharing the report.
I really enjoyed going through your report
Keep writing
Hope to kearn more from you
Regards
Heemani
Posted 20-04-2020 12:21
Hello Seiojin,
Thank you so much for sharing the report
Posted 20-04-2020 10:12
Hello Seojin,
Thank you for sharing negative impacts of mercury on whole ecosystem.
Keep on sharing.
Green regards,
Asmita.
Posted 19-04-2020 22:56
Hello Seojin,
Hope you are safe and doing great.
I haven't heard about the Minamata Bay incidence yet. Thank you so much for sharing about negative impacts of mercury on whole ecosystem.
Keep on sharing.
Green regards,
Asmita.
Posted 19-04-2020 22:54
Hello Seojin Lee!!
Keep writing and shining
Hope to know more from you
Regards,
Prabha
GREEN CHEERS
Posted 19-04-2020 20:15
Hello Seojin Lee!!
I hope you are fine and doing great.
I really enjoyed going through yours report.
Although mercury is a rare element it has numerous effects.
Short term exposure to the mercury of a large amount cause neurological disorder.
We indirectly consume mercury by contaminated fish.
Keep writing and shining.
Hope to know more from you.
Warm regards,
Meena
GREEN CHEERS
Posted 19-04-2020 17:45