Mercury
Your Health and the Environment

2004
Health Canada Mercury Issues Task Group

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Table of Contents

• Overview
  • Q.1 What is mercury?
  • Q.2 Why is mercury considered a health and environmental problem?
  • Q.3 What is methyl mercury?
  • Q.4 What are the main sources of natural mercury releases?
  • Q.5 What are the main sources of anthropogenic (human) mercury releases?
  • Q.6 Have mercury levels increased?
• Exposure
  • Q.7 What are the main sources of mercury exposure?
  • Q.8 Are Canadians at risk from methyl mercury exposure?
  • Q.9 What uses of metallic (elemental) mercury in the home increase mercury exposure?
  • Q.10 What types of workplace environments potentially increase mercury exposure?
  • Q.11 Is there any method of testing that will determine individual exposure to mercury?
• Exposure through the Consumption of Fish
  • Q.12 How do mercury releases end up in fish?
  • Q.13 Does eating fish increase my exposure to mercury?
  • Q.14 What advice would Health Canada offer Canadians concerning fish consumption?
  • Q.15 What measures has Health Canada taken to reduce exposure to mercury through fish consumption?
  • Q.16 Are any fish species exempt from the mercury content restrictions?
  • Q.17 What are the current Health Canada total intake limits for methyl mercury for Canadians?
• Exposure through Consumer Products
  • Q.18 Which consumer products are known to contain mercury?
  • Q.19 Why was mercury used in paints and what should I do about mercury-based paint in my home?
  • Q.20 As an artist, how can I reduce exposure to mercury?
  • Q.21 Does mercury in children's toys represent a hazard?
  • Q.22 What can I do to manage mercury exposure in my home?
  • Q.23 What happens when I use metallic mercury unsafely in the home?
  • Q.24 What should I do with a mercury-containing product when it has reached the end of its useful life?
  • Q.25 How should I clean up a mercury spill in my home (including a broken mercury fever thermometer)?
  • Q.26 How much mercury is released from cigarette smoke?
  • Q.27 What is the source of mercury in cigarettes?
• Exposure from Dental Amalgam and Thimerosal Vaccines
  • Q.28 Should I avoid mercury amalgam dental fillings?
  • Q.29 Should I have my existing mercury amalgam dental fillings replaced?
  • Q.30 What is thimerosal and why is it used in vaccines?
  • Q.31 If patients have a choice of vaccines, one with mercury or one without, which should they choose?
  • Q.32 Why is the federal government not recommending removal of thimerosal vaccines from use if there is a concern?
  • Q.33 What degree of mercury exposure has my six-month-old baby encountered from vaccines? Is there a health risk associated with this level of exposure?
  • Q.34 Do children receive toxic levels of mercury from vaccines?
• Health Concerns
  • Q.35 What happens to elemental mercury in the body and where does it accumulate?
  • Q.36 What happens to inorganic mercury in the body and where does it accumulate?
  • Q.37 What happens to methyl mercury in the body and where does it accumulate?
  • Q.38 How long does it take to excrete mercury (all forms) from the body?
  • Q.39 What are the health effects and symptoms of inorganic mercury exposure in adults?
  • Q.40 What are the health effects and symptoms of methyl mercury exposure in adults?
  • Q.41 What type of treatment exists to remove mercury from blood?
  • Q.42 Should I be concerned about mercury concentrations in drinking water?
• Pregnant Women & Children
  • Q.43 Why is mercury a special concern for pregnant and breastfeeding women?
  • Q.44 Why are children and the developing fetus at a greater risk than adults for adverse health effects associated with mercury?
  • Q.45 What are the health effects of metallic or inorganic mercury exposure in children?
  • Q.46 What are the health effects associated with exposure to methyl mercury in children?
• Mercury in the Environment
  • Q.47 How much does Canada contribute to worldwide mercury releases?
  • Q.48 How are anthropogenic (human) mercury emissions transported through the atmosphere?
  • Q.49 How is mercury transformed in the environment?
  • Q.50 What is polar sunrise depletion?
  • Q.51 How does mercury affect fish and wildlife?
  • Q.52 Is mercury present in the air and at what concentration?
  • Q.53 Is mercury present in dust and soil and at what concentration?
  • Q.54 Is mercury present in precipitation and at what concentration?
  • Q.55 Is mercury present in fresh water and at what concentration?
  • Q.56 Is mercury present in sediment and at what concentration?
• Government Action on Mercury
  • Q.57 What Canadian legislation pertains to the management of mercury?
  • Q.58 What is the Government of Canada doing, in collaboration with provincial and international governments, to reduce mercury in the environment?
  • Q.59 How is Health Canada helping to reduce mercury exposure?
  • Q.60 Does Canada monitor the release of mercury into the environment from anthropogenic (human) sources?
  • Q.61 Does Canada monitor levels of mercury in the environment?
  • Q.62 What mercury research is supported by the Government of Canada?
  • Q.63 Are consumer products regulated for acceptable levels of mercury?
  • Q.64 What action has Health Canada taken to reduce mercury levels in paint used in the home?
  • Q.65 Does Canada have regulations in place to control the amount of mercury in compost?
  • Q.66 Does Canada have regulations in place to control mercury levels in mercury-containing fluorescent lamps?
  • Q.67 Does Canada have regulations in place to control mercury releases from dental amalgam waste?
  • Q.68 Does Canada have regulations in place to control mercury releases from base metal smelting?
  • Q.69 Does Canada have regulations in place to control mercury emissions from waste incineration?
  • Q.70 Does Canada have regulations in place to control mercury emissions from the Electric Power Generating Sector?
  • Q.71 Does Canada regulate mercury-containing waste disposal at sea?
  • Q.72 What actions has Health Canada taken to eliminate the use of mercury in fungicides?
• Sources of Information on Mercury
  • Q.73 Where can I get more information about mercury?
• References
• Glossary of Terms