in the late 19th century, the term “mad as a hatter” was used to denote mercury poisoning in hat makers
mercury was frequently used in medicines such as diuretics, antiseptics, laxatives and to treat syphilis, as well as use in the home and industry
mercury as Calomel (insoluble mercuric chloride) was commonly used in teething powders and as worm medication until c1955
it seems intestinal actions could cause it to be absorbed in certain situations causing Pink disease (infantile acrodynia) which occurred in 1 in 500 exposed children and was especially prevalent in Australia, North America, and Central Europe in the 1st half of the 20th century and was 1st described in literature in 1903 although cases in Australia predate this time by at least two decades.
it may be linked to autism spectrum disorders in grandchildren of the affected - a 2011 study showed the prevalence rate of ASD among the grandchildren of pink disease survivors (1 in 25) to be significantly higher than the comparable general population prevalence rate (1 in 160)
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merbromin, an organic form of mercury bromide, was the main constituent of the water based Mercurochrome 1% solution which was painted topically on abrasions and burns as an antiseptic and was banned in US as an over the counter medicine in 1998 as it contained trace amounts of mercury - still used in Third World countries
thimerosal was used in the alcohol-based antiseptic Merthiolate and also contained trace amounts of mercury - still used in Third World countries, it is also used as a preservative in vaccines, although this use has largely disappeared
elemental mercury was used in the far majority of thermometers, barometers and sphygmomanometers until phased out from 2001 in many countries
although trialled since 1620's, mercury thermometers were not commercially made until 1717 when Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit finally made a version which was better than spirits
the typical “fever thermometer” contains between 0.5-3g of elemental mercury, however, swallowing this amount of mercury would pose little danger but the inhaling of the vapour could lead to health problems
large fish such as shark (eg. “flake”), swordfish, white albacore tuna, king mackerel, especially if caught in industrial waters can have high levels of mercury which are then eaten by humans
amalgam (“silver”) tooth fillings, are half mercury and are still common in dentistry
in 1961, it was found to be the cause of Minamata disease in Japan due to a factory discharged inorganic mercury into the water where bacteria methylated it and fish ingested it
prior to 1990, many paints contained mercury as an antimildew agent