Sources of Mercury

MERCURY

Sources
Mercury is widely used in industry, agriculture, and health care. Common uses of
mercury include:

Fungicides and pesticides - a large source, used worldwide to treat grains and seeds. Methyl mercury is the most common form here;
Cosmetics - mercury is added to decrease bacterial growth;
Dental fillings - mercury, in the past, is widely used as silver-mercury amalgam. Dentists no longer do as they feel that it leads to a variety of problems. The American Dental Association still claims that there is no proven mercury toxicity due to dental amalgams;
Medicines - organic mercurial diuretics have been the most common, though these are less used these days. Mercury-containing cathartics, anthelminetics, and teething powders were also employed in the past. Broken thermometers can increase mercury exposure, and mercurochrome also contains mercury;
Coal burning - this releases mercury into the atmosphere;
Fish- fish may contain varying amounts of mercury. Ocean bacteria, algae, and small fish do have some. Mercury concentrations usually increase with the size of the fish. An excessive intake of fish foods may lead to increased body levels of mercury;
Other sources of mercury are mirrors, latex paints, fabric softeners, felt, floor waxes and polishes, sewage sludge, laxatives containing calomel, cinnabar jewelry, tattoo dyes, and many others. Most of these are not specifically mercury toxic, as they do not give off high amounts of volatile mercury. Fungicides are the most widely used and probably the most potentially toxic.

Check out the mercury in your body with our easy to use, home-based, Personal Mercury Test kit

Sample of a HMT Mercury Test kit with color strip for results analysis