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Mercury Poisoning and 1990 S When Mercury Mining Essentially Stopped

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Mercury Poisoning and 1990 S When Mercury Mining Essentially Stopped
Intro: Mercury can be used in many different products such as barometers, florescent lamps, and electrical switches and can be in the fish that we eat, whether the fish was caught in a local lake or bought from the grocery store. Mercury is a naturally occurring element in the earth’s crust that can be moved around from volcanoes, coal burning plants, mining, and other natural or human actions. “Mercury is well-documented as a toxic chemical that is atmospherically transported on a local, regional, and global scale by cycling among air, land, and water” (U.S. EPA, 2009). As early as the 1950’s we found that exposure to mercury can be extremely toxic, even deadly to animals and people. Throughout this report I will describe the basic chemical science of mercury, discuss the history and finally the government policies that are being enforced to deal with this problem.
Basic Science: Elemental mercury (Hg), also known as quicksilver, is a unique metal because it is liquid at room temperature. “Mercury’s chemical symbol comes from the Greek word hydrargyrum, which means liquid silver”(Gagnon, 2010). Mercury is commonly found as the mineral cinnabar (HgS), but is rarely found in the elemental form naturally. Mercury tends to alloy easily with many metals called amalgams. Amalgams can be used to extract metals and can be used in dentistry. Mercury exists in three different sources around the world. Manufactured mercury compounds from a laboratory setting, byproducts of mining and refining, and Industrial waste. “Mercury exists in three oxidation states: Hgo (elemental mercury), Hg22+ (mercurous mercury), and Hg2+ (mercuric mercury)”(COTW, 2010). The last two oxidation states can form inorganic chemical compounds, which are predominantly airborne mercury, and organic chemical compounds such as methylmercury. Mercury compounds have many different uses. “The most important mercury salts are mercuric chloride HgCl2 (corrosive sublimate - a violent


Cited: Alpers, Charles, et al. "Mercury Contamination from Historical Gold Mining in California." U.S. Geological Survey (2005): n. pag. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. . Brigham, Mark, David Krabbenhoft, and Pixie Hamilton. "Mercury in Stream Ecosystems—New Studies Initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey." U.S. Geological Survey (2003): n. pag. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Brooks, William, and Grecia Matos. "Mercury Recycling in the United States in 2000." U.S. Geological Survey, (2006): n. pag. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Finkelman, Robert, and Susan Tewalt. "Mercury in U.S. Coal." U.S. Geological Survey (2003): n. pag. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Gagnon, Steve. "It 's Elemental." Jefferson Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2010. . Krabbenhoft, David, and David Rickert. "Mercury Contamination of Aquatic Ecosystems." U.S. Geological Survey (2009): n. pag. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . "Mercury." Chemical of the Week. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. . "Mercury." Lenntech Water Treatment Solutions. N.p., 2009. Web. 2 Nov. 2010. . Montague, Peter. "The Problem with Mercury." A History of Regulatory Capitulation to the Chemical Industry. N.p., 7 Feb. 2006. Web. 2 Nov. 2010. . "Potential Export of Mercury." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2009): n. pag. Web. 2 Nov. 2010. . "Workshop on Mercury in Products, Processes, Waste and the Environment: Eliminating, Reducing and Managing Risks from Non-Combustion Sources." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2001): n. pag. Web. 2 Nov. 2010. .
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