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Mercury is a metal which is toxic for humans and wildlife. High doses can be fatal; even low doses of mercury compounds can have serious neurodevelopmental effects and damage the cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems. Recent research has indicated that, for some parts of the population, there is no such thing as a safe exposure level for mercury.
Within the health care setting, mercury spills can be a significant source of inhalation. When a spill is not cleaned up properly, the slow evaporation of mercury soaked into carpets and furniture can have serious consequences for the health of workers and patients, especially children.
Mercury in the Environment
Mercury doesn't only cause health problems within the health care setting. The cumulative effects of incorrect disposal of mercury-contaminated waste, either by being flushed down the drain, incinerated or disposed of as municipal waste, has led the WHO to identify the health care sector as a significant contributor of mercury pollution to the environment.
Once it has escaped into the environment mercury contaminates the food we eat, especially predatory fish such as tuna. Today in Europe it is estimated that anywhere between 3 million and 15 million people have mercury levels in their bodies above the recommended limit. Populations highly dependent on a fish diet have been found to have levels 10 times higher still, at which there are clear neurodevelopmental effects on children and the foetus.
The good news is that mercury is relatively easy to phase-out of health care. Hundreds of facilities around the world, from Argentina through the US to the Philippines, are taking advantage of the wide range of readily-available and effective alternatives to mercury-containing devices in order to become mercury-free.
>> Read about alternatives to mercury in healthcare >>
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