When should you be tested for mercury poisoning?

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Do Thi Hoang Ha - Doctor of Biochemistry - Laboratory Department - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital

Persons who are directly exposed to mercury vapors or compounds, are near the affected area or have signs of toxicity, should go to the nearest medical facility to accurately check their health status.

Mercury is a silvery heavy metal that is liquid at room temperature, less toxic in its elemental form, but in the form of compounds or salts or vapors, it is very toxic. This is the cause of brain and liver damage when people touch, breathe or ingest. Inorganic compounds are less toxic than organic compounds. Mercury poisoning can have many causes, so symptoms can vary, depending on the type, dose, method and duration of exposure. Inhaling elemental mercury and swallowing inorganic mercury causes acute poisoning, while exposure to organic forms such as ingesting mercury-containing fish often causes chronic poisoning.
Mercury binds to sulfhydryl groups in many enzymes and proteins of cell tissues, and is thus directly toxic to cells and cell function. Once in contact with the body, mercury is absorbed almost completely into the bloodstream and distributed to all tissues including the brain. It is also transmitted across the placenta to the fetus and fetal brain. The first sign of mercury poisoning is numbness and tingling in the lips, fingers, and toes, called paresthesia.
In case the patient is exposed by inhaling toxic fumes with mercury, the poison also attacks the respiratory system causing acute severe lung disease, brain, liver and nervous system. Symptoms may appear within a few hours. The first symptom is fever caused by metal fumes, including fever, chills, shortness of breath, chest tightness. Patients may experience stomatitis, feeling lethargic, convulsions, abdominal pain, dizziness, then vomiting, weakness in the limbs, inflammation of the intestines, urination less and less and turning into kidney failure... These symptoms usually subsides within a week. However, in some cases, the progression can be more severe, progressing to acute pulmonary edema, respiratory failure and death.
In addition, mercury poisoning can be acquired through ingestion (as organic mercury methylmercury) or skin contact (usually inorganic mercury).

Mercury can be generated from coal-fired power plants (the highest source of mercury released into the atmosphere), incinerators, and forest fires. Other important man-made sources include gold production, non-ferrous metal production, cement production, waste treatment, human cremation, caustic soda production, iron and steel production, and manufacturing. mercury (mainly to make batteries).
Doctors advise people who are far away from the fire, do not breathe the heat, so the risk is low, not necessarily going to the hospital for examination. The risk of poisoning depends on many factors such as smoke concentration, exposure time, narrow space, age...
However, there is no way to detox naturally or at home. required to be treated in medical facilities.
In some common cases below, people need to go to a medical facility for an accurate diagnosis and timely detoxification treatment, to avoid possible complications:
2.1. People who are directly exposed to mercury forms People who are directly exposed to mercury compounds and vapors are the first to be examined and tested for mercury poisoning. Mercury in a hot environment will evaporate, forming toxic compounds into the air, so the risk of poisoning is higher than usual.
For example, when in the case of a fire, the person directly fighting the fire, the people in the immediate vicinity, the person in charge must be near the cadres to direct, reporters, etc., they should go and check. mercury levels in the blood.
Give first aid to patients with mercury poisoning on the spot by quickly removing the victim from the toxic environment, removing clothing if mercury is on the skin, rinsing with clean water, rinsing eyes if contact occurs. into the eyes... Then take the victim to the hospital to check the kidneys, lungs, liver, blood, respiratory tract.
A common case of exposure to liquid mercury is when a mercury thermometer breaks at home. In this case, it is important to quickly move people, especially children, out of the mercury area. Wear gloves or wrap your hands in plastic to collect mercury particles, avoid causing heat to evaporate mercury, which will be toxic.
If children accidentally swallow liquid mercury from thermometers, parents should not be too worried. Mercury is insignificantly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract (about 0.01% through a healthy intestine), which can be eliminated from the body naturally after a few days if the digestive system is healthy. Poisoning by swallowing neither induces vomiting nor does gastric lavage, due to the risk of gastric perforation and esophageal perforation. Do not use activated charcoal because it has no effect on metal adsorption, absolutely do not hook the throat, cause vomiting because it will cause dangerous complications for the health of the child. If there is no aspiration, simply monitor the child's stool for a few days to determine and assess the amount of Hg that has been excreted. However, parents still have to take their children to the medical center for check-ups to ensure absolute safety. While waiting to go to the hospital, the child should drink more water. Note for children to eat enough to avoid constipation. If there is damage to the oropharyngeal mucosa that will cause much edema, endotracheal intubation is recommended to prevent airway obstruction.
2.2. People who are exposed (indirectly) to acute mercury poisoning and have symptoms When near an area exposed to mercury, they have symptoms such as headache, burning eyes and nose, cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath, ... then people should go to the hospital to be tested for mercury poisoning.
In fact, the initial symptoms of mercury poisoning can be similar to those of other causes. Especially in cases where exposure to mercury vapor from a fire is suspected, chest tightness or difficulty breathing in the patient may also be due to inhalation of CO, sulfur compounds that cause respiratory irritation and headaches. . However, regardless of the cause, the patient should not be subjective. It is best to go to the hospital to check your condition so that you can take timely measures in case of need.
In the case of patients with chronic mercury poisoning, the most typical case is the case of eating a lot of seafood contaminated with organic mercury, the symptoms of poisoning such as tremors, inability to regulate movement, personality changes, memory loss, insomnia, fatigue, headaches, weight loss and psychological stress,... can also cause confusion with some other diseases. In this case, the patient should go to the doctor to know the exact cause and timely treatment.

2.3. If away from hazardous area People who are far away, have not been in close contact with exposure, poisoning or fire areas with mercury vapor and do not have warning of danger, it is not necessary to go to the hospital for testing. unnecessary costs.
Moreover, in some cases of fire with mercury vapor, there are still other toxic gases that can cause poisoning with similar symptoms, so people need to be calm, if there are abnormal signs of the body. then you need to check.
Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the hospitals that not only ensures professional quality with a team of leading medical doctors, modern equipment and technology, but also stands out for its examination and consultation services. comprehensive and professional medical consultation and treatment; civilized, polite, safe and sterile medical examination and treatment space. Customers when choosing to perform tests here can be completely assured of the accuracy of test results.