By now you may have become familiar with the government warnings not to eat too much fish that you catch in the wild because certain species may contain high amounts of mercury and you may get mercury poisoning if you do so.  There are two types of mercury: organic mercury and inorganic mercury.  Organic mercury is found in fish, produce, farm animals, dairy products, processed grains and water.  The older or larger the fish the more mercury it is likely to contain.  Inorganic mercury is the kind that you find in thermometers, dental fillings, barometers, fluorescent light bulbs, electrical wiring and switches, pesticides, fungicides, paint, vaccines, antiseptic creams, skin tightening creams, pharmaceutical drugs and various ointments.  Either type of mercury accumulating in your body can create a multitude of health problems.

The human body has the ability to convert inorganic mercury into organic mercury once it has been absorbed into the bloodstream.  Mercury poisoning epidemics in Iraq and Japan have given us a greater understanding of the effects of mercury on the human body.  Over 6,000 people in Iraq were hospitalized and 459 people died as a result of mercury poisoning.  Symptoms in adults ranged from visual and hearing disorders to fatigue, comas and even brain damage.  Children exposed to mercury tainted food showed ailments such as visual and hearing disorders, impairment of motor skills and cognitive functions and emotional problems.

There has been some research recently indicating that ingesting of mercury is a contributing factor in autism in children.  Mercury found in vaccines is believed to be the cause of an increasing rate of autism in American children.  Studies have found that there is a correlation between complications found in people with mercury poisoning and people with autism.  Mercury poisoning has also been connected with other human ailments such as Parkinson’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and cerebral palsy.

(To Be Continued)