Dr. James Pendleton
Though used since ancient times, only now are we beginning to realize just how toxic mercury is. Being a liquid at room temperature, this heavy metal has versatile properties that make it almost irreplaceable in our daily lives.
Mercury is still used in medicine, dentistry, electronics, mining, paints, pesticides, fungicides, factory production, preservatives, thermometers, and even skin creams. While opportunities abound for exposure due to human contributions, the earth’s crust is also emitting a considerable amount due to natural phenomena.
Two Major Forms of Mercury
Most mercury exposure occurs in two flavors, elemental, and methyl mercury. The elemental form is the purest, being the silvery liquid you probably remember from school. Methyl Mercury, the other form we are concerned with, is more abundant in animal tissues. Elemental mercury can cause contact dermatitis and produces vapors that damage the lungs, though fairly nontoxic when ingested. Methyl mercury on the other hand is extremely absorbable when ingested, and damages many tissues throughout the body.
Exposure to Mercury
Some instances of exposure to the elemental form would include having silver amalgam fillings –or having them removed, breaking a thermometer, or performing experiments in a school physics lab. When elemental mercury sits at room temperature it gives off toxic vapors. Gaseous mercury, being heavier than air, tends to sink towards the floor where small children are prone to breathe it in. When elemental mercury gets into the bloodstream through cuts or gastrointestinal lesions (like stomach ulcers) it becomes much more dangerous, like the methyl form.
Mercury from Animal Tissues is Easily Absorbed when Ingested
The formation of methyl mercury involves the modification of the elemental form by bacteria and algae. These microbes become little factories that add molecules to the metal to make it more absorbable and available in animal tissues. Ingested methyl mercury is almost completely absorbed during digestion, and stays in the tissues. Predators now tend to have high tissue levels of mercury because they collect and concentrate it from their prey. As we climb the food chain we find very high levels in large fish like tuna and shark. While fish is touted as a healthy food, the US government now recommends stringent intake limits from local sources and completely prohibits the ingestion of some fish species. Most waterways and lakes in the US and Canada have some kind of warning when it comes to mercury and many regions of the US are now so contaminated that fishing is strictly prohibited.
Toxic Properties of Mercury in Humans
When methyl mercury is assimilated into organ systems of the body it wreaks havoc. It suppresses the immune system, affects vision, and disrupts brain and nervous tissue. It also decreases the filtering ability of the kidneys and damages the liver. While also impacting memory, psychological symptoms include insomnia, irritability, excitability, temper, quarreling, fear, anxiety, restlessness, and depression. There are theorized models with methyl mercury the culprit in conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, chronic fatigue syndrome, dementia, and many others. The use of mercury as a preservative in vaccines has become controversial, with a probable link to autism. It is thought that some children may be genetically lacking in certain enzymes that protect against the cellular damage that mercury inflicts.
Multiple Mechanisms for Mercury’s Toxicity
Surprisingly little is still known regarding mercury’s mechanisms of toxicity -but we think that it disrupts cellular functions by sticking to vulnerable parts of proteins used in the machinery of the cell. It also causes oxidation of the membranes of cells, making them age and deteriorate rapidly. Enzymes are small, yet complex molecules of protein that guide and facilitate chemical reactions to occur in an orderly fashion in cells. Mercury appears to stick to certain amino acid building blocks of these enzymes and stop them from working. In the most drastic of circumstances this kills the cell by ceasing its ability to burn fuel using oxygen.
Ways to Determine Mercury Exposure using Blood, Hair, Urine, and Saliva
Though controversy exists – and some with vested interests still oppose- thankfully, we now have efficient –substantiated- laboratory testing to determine the extent of mercury exposure. To date, the most useful appears to be hair analysis but this could change as technology advances. Tests using hair, blood, or urine are relatively easy and inexpensive.
Naturopathic Physicians Tailor Healthy Mercury Removal Plans
With these results, physicians can tailor a safe program specific to the individual, using nutrition, botanicals, and sometimes, powerful chelating agents. Chelating agents are safe yet powerful drugs, vitamins, and herbs that grab onto toxins like mercury and facilitate their elimination in the urine. Sometimes during this elimination, patients may feel a little sick because they are liberating toxins that have been stored away in the body for a long time. Naturopathic physicians are good at avoiding this because they monitor the patient, modulating the dosages and length of treatment to their constitution.
Helpful References
Patrick, L., and others. “Mercury Toxicity and Antioxidants: Part 1: Role of Glutathione and Alpha-lipoic Acid in the Treatment of Mercury Toxicity.” Alternative Medicine Review: a Journal of Clinical Therapeutic 7, no. 6 (2002): 456.
Boening, D.W. “Ecological Effects, Transport, and Fate of Mercury: a General Review.” Chemosphere 40, no. 12 (2000): 1335–1351.
Gill, US, HM Schwartz, and L. Bigras. “Results of Multiyear International Interlaboratory Comparison Program for Mercury in Human Hair.” Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 43, no. 4 (2002): 466–472.
Koos, BJ, L.D. Longo, and others. “Mercury Toxicity in the Pregnant Woman, Fetus, and Newborn Infant. A Review.” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 126, no. 3 (1976): 390.
Simmons-Willis, T.A., A.S. Koh, T.W. Clarkson, and N. Ballatori. “Transport of a Neurotoxicant by Molecular Mimicry: The methylmercury-L-cysteine Complex Is a Substrate for Human L-type Large Neutral Amino Acid Transporter (LAT) 1 and LAT2.” Biochemical Journal 367, no. Pt 1 (2002): 239.
Keating, M.H., K.R. Mahaffey, R. Schoeny, GE Rice, and OR Bullock. Mercury Study Report to Congress. Volume 1. Executive Summary. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, 1997.
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