Alert
Mercury - What You Need to Know
November 14, 2007

Mercury poisoning can come from food sources or from breathing mercury vapors.  Exposure to mercury can be dangerous to your health, although pregnant or nursing women and children age six or younger are more sensitive to mercury.

How Mercury Affects Your Health

The nervous system is very sensitive to all forms of mercury.  Exposure to high levels of metallic mercury can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys or a developing fetus.

Long term exposure to low levels of mercury vapors may cause effects including:

• irritability
• tremors
• vision or  hearing changes 
• memory difficulties

Tests are available to measure mercury levels in the body. Blood or urine samples are used to test for exposure to metallic mercury and to inorganic forms of mercury.  Your doctor can take samples and send them to a testing laboratory.

You Can Avoid Mercury Poisoning

• Carefully handle and dispose of products that contain mercury, such as thermometers or fluorescent light bulbs.
• Do not vacuum spilled mercury because it will vaporize and increase exposure.
• Never break open products that contain mercury.
• Do not pour mercury into any house or street drain or open waterway.
• Never burn mercury-containing products.
• Do not put mercury-containing products in the trash.
• Always properly recycle mercury-containing products at a household hazardous waste collection site.

Ohio Fish Advisory

For women of childbearing age and children 6 or younger: Eat only one serving of fish per week from any Ohio waterway; and Eat no more than one fish meal per month from any body of water where mercury is a noted contaminant.  To find out more - http://www.odh.state.oh.us (click on Alerts and Warnings).

Tips for Dealing with a Mercury Spill

• Ventilate and evacuate room where spill occurred.
• Never try to vacuum spilled mercury.
• Wear gloves.
• Use cardboard or stiff paper to push beads of mercury together.
• An eyedropper or bulb syringe is useful for picking up mercury beads.
• On carpet, cutting and removal of contaminated area may be necessary.
• Place all clean-up supplies and collected mercury in an airtight container.
• Take all mercury to a household hazardous waste collection site.

Fact Sheets on Mercury

• What You Need to Know About Mercury - Brochure
• Mercury - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
• Mercury Spills  - Fact Sheet 

Important Numbers to Know

General mercury spill or disposal information
Columbus Public Health - 311 or (614) 645-8191

Household hazardous waste collection locations
Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio - (614) 898-2480

Large spill reporting or small spill clean up information
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency - (800) 282-9378

Mercury poisoning information
Poison Control Center - (800) 222-1222