Occupational Exposure to Mercury
How someone's health may be affected by exposure to mercury depends on several factors.
The most common potential mode of occupational exposure to mercury is via inhalation of metallic liquid mercury vapors. Since mercury vapor is odorless and colorless, people can breathe mercury vapor unknowingly. For liquid metallic mercury, inhalation is the route of exposure that poses the most significant health risk.
Mercury is a neurotoxin. How someone's health may be affected by exposure to mercury depends on several factors which include:
- form of mercury (for example, methylmercury or elemental metallic mercury)
- amount of mercury in the exposure
- age of the person exposed (unborn infants are the most vulnerable)
- how long the exposure lasts
- route of exposure (breathing, eating, and skin contact)
- the health of the person exposed
The effects of mercury exposure can be very severe, subtle, or may not occur at all, depending on the factors above.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-2. What is the most common potential mode of occupational exposure to mercury?
You forgot to answer the question!