Mercury Exposure and Health Effects in Occupational Workers, Dental Amalgam and Whitening Creams Users by Nayab Gul
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Date
2015
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Publisher
Department of Environmental Sciences
Abstract
Hg exists in three oxidation states of 0, I and II. They were named as Hg zero, Hg one and Hg two or in other words elemental Hg, mercurous Hg and mercuric Hg. The elemental Hg is a silver color metal which is liquid at room temperature. When the elemental Hg oxidized it form Hg one or Hg two. The Hg attached to a carbon atom form organic Hg i-e methyl Hg and ethyl Hg. The organic Hg is always Hg (II). When not bound to a carbon atom then it is inorganic Hg. The unique characteristic of Hg is that it’s liquid at room temperature. The boiling point (357C°) of Hg is quite higher and the solubilities of Hg compounds in water are different which were 69, 60 and 2 g/L for mercuric chloride, meatallic Hg and mercurous chloride respectively (Clarkson and Magos, 2006).
Hg is an environmental pollutant and health hazard for the human however its use still continues in various processes and goods. The Hg released through both natural and anthropogenic activities. The human exposed to the toxic metal the elemental Hg through different ways includes occupational exposure in industries e.g fluorescent lamp industry, through gold mining, electrical switches, thermometers, chlor-alkali production etc. The Hg is also used in the dental amalgam filling, skin whitening creams, paints, pharmaceuticals, in vaccines, in the manufacturing of some batteries and in agriculture pesticides and herbicides.