Mercury Surveillance

Mercury is most commonly used in electrical equipment such as alkaline batteries, fluorescent light bulbs and “silent switches”. It is also used in medical and scientific instruments such as thermometers, manometers and barometers. It is also used in gold and silver extraction, jewelry making and for coating the backs of mirrors. It is still widely used in dental amalgams.

Inorganic mercury compounds are used as preservatives and stabilizers in some latex paints, oil-based exterior paints and caulking compounds. They are used in leather tanning compounds, photographic chemicals, pesticides, explosives, and catalysts in chemical manufacture, although these uses are declining.

Mercury

-can cause serious damage to a number of systems in the body. Overexposure to mercury can affect: the nervous system, the kidneys, the mouth, the skin, the eyes, the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal system, and the reproductive system.

Mercury can affect the health of workers if it’s a form that may be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. Such forms may include: mercury vapour, dusts, and liquids. Some occupations that may involve exposure to mercury include: jewelers, laboratory workers, scientific instrument makers and users, paper makers, pesticide makers and users, photograph producers, among others.