BIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES OF MERCURY ON LIVING ORGANISMS

Abstract

Human Beings have been exposed to heavy metals for an immeasurable amount of time. The industrialization of work has dramatically increased the overall environmental load of heavy metal toxins to the point that our societies are dependent upon them for proper functioning.[1] Industry and commercial process have actively mined refined manufactured, burned and manipulated heavy metals compounds and for a number of reasons. Today heavy metals are abundant in our drinking water, air and soil, due to our increased use of these compounds.[2] They are present virtually every area of modern consumerism from construction materials to cosmetics, medicines, processed foods, fuel sources and personal care products.[3,4] It is very difficult for anyone to avoid exposure to any of the many harmful heavy metals that are prevalent in our environment.[5]While it does not appear that we are going to neither neutralise the threat of heavy metal toxicity in our communities nor decrease our utilisation of the many commercial goods, we can take steps to understand this threat and put into action policies of prevention and treatment that may help to lessen the negative impact created by these metals on our health.[6]