Workers in the felt hat industry that were labeled as being crazy or as "Mad Hatters" had actually been over exposed to mercury that was used in making felt hats.
The problem with mercury is that it stays around for a long time, a very long time.
It is now known that mercury and a few other highly toxic chemicals can persist in the environment. These chemicals are also able to accumulate in the food chain from a few parts per trillion (ppt) to levels in the parts per million range (ppm). Higher levels that accumulate in the food chain can be harmful to humans and the ecosystem.
Concern about human health effects and environmental impacts resulted in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designating these substances as, "persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollutants" or PBTs. EPA even developed a special PBT agency-wide program focused on mercury and eleven other PBT substances.
PBTs targeted by EPA included aldrin / dieldrin, benzo(a)pyrene, chlordane, DDT and its metabolites, hexachlorobenzene, alkyl-lead, mirex, octachlorostyrene, PCBs, dioxins, furans, toxaphene, and mercury. Most of these substances are pesticides and have now been banned for production and use in the U.S.
Human exposure to PBTs such as mercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a special problem for young children and the developing unborn fetus. These toxins can be accumulated by the mother and then passed on during pregnancy or when nursing.
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« What You Need to Know About Child AbuseBlame The Media for The Problems Face by Today's Youth? A Different Perspective »When fish and other foods are found to have elevated levels of PBTs, state health agencies issue health advisories to warn the general public about the risk. While the EPA and the chemical industry have been able to reduce the amount of these pollutants that reach the environment, problems still exist.
The number of health advisories for eating fish from bodies of water in the U.S. continues to increase. Only a few states have been able to decrease the number of health advisories issued. Maine has issued statewide advisories applying to fish caught from all bodies of fresh water. The majority of these health advisories involve mercury or PCBs.
In Boston, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) faced violations of the Clean Water Act due to the levels of mercury being discharged into Boston Harbor. There was also concern that the amount of mercury in the effluent from waste water treatment plants could also affect the quality of sludge that produced by the MWRA treatment facilities. At that time, sludge from the MWRA was processed as biosolids in a pellet form.
The MWRA established a special hospital mercury advisory group to help identify the problem and to find ways to minimize the amount of mercury entering the MWRA collection system. The advisory group found that many of the hospitals and health-related research facilities in the Boston area used a number of reagents and other substances containing mercury in the parts per trillion (ppt) range. These products are used in research and diagnostic work and contain trace amounts of mercury that are usually not listed on the label or the material safety data sheet (MSDS).
Field studies showed that mercury was being "magnified" in the organic material (biomass) that accumulates in drain lines as a light or dark brown slime layer on the internal surfaces of pipes. One sample of biomass material collected from a hospital drain line was found to contain levels of mercury greater than 1,000 ppm.
Exposure to mercury may result in a person experiencing a variety of symptoms including changes in vision and hearing, difficulties with memory, and severe personality changes. In the 1800s workers in the felt hat industry that were labeled as being crazy or as "Mad Hatters" had actually been over exposed to mercury that was used in making the hats.
A veterinarian in Texas was nearly institutionalized in a mental hospital because of severe personality disorders and behavior changes. Fortunately, for the veterinarian, an experienced physician was able to diagnosis his "craziness" as Mad Hatters syndrome caused by mercury exposure. It was later found that the veterinarian had been exposed to mercury vapors from animal medications stored in the back of his station wagon.
http://socyberty.com/issues/the-problem-with-mercury/
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