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A sack of "pink grain". Note the labelling in Spanish, and the grain's distinctive orange-pink colour. The 1971 Iraq poison grain disaster was a mass methylmercury poisoning incident that took place in late 1971 where seed grain treated with a methylmercury fungicide, which was never intended for human consumption, was imported into Iraq from Mexico and the United States.
Mercury poisoning is a type of metal poisoning due to exposure to mercury. [3] Symptoms depend upon the type, dose, method, and duration of exposure. [3] [4] They may include muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet, skin rashes, anxiety, memory problems, trouble speaking, trouble hearing, or trouble seeing. [1]
Structures of two main types of complexes formed by methylmercury. X − = anion, L = neutral Lewis base. Methylmercury (sometimes methyl mercury) is an organometallic cation with the formula [CH 3 Hg] +. It is the simplest organomercury compound. Methylmercury is extremely toxic, and its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for ...
However, methylmercury is taken up at a faster rate than other forms and bioaccumulates to a greater extent. The biomagnification of methylmercury has a most significant influence on the impact on animals and humans. Fish appear to bind methylmercury strongly, nearly 100 percent of mercury that bioaccumulates in predator fish is methylmercury. [21]
Phytotoxicity describes any adverse effects on plant growth, physiology, or metabolism caused by a chemical substance, such as high levels of fertilizers, herbicides, heavy metals, or nanoparticles. [1] General phytotoxic effects include altered plant metabolism, growth inhibition, or plant death. [2]
Prior to the 1950s, the "scientific community was unaware of the effects of methylmercury on humans". [9] In a 1958 article in The Lancet, two medical doctors reported their findings which confirmed a "link between methylmercury contaminated fish and human neurologic symptoms."
The toxicity of organomercury compounds [2] [3] presents both dangers and benefits. Dimethylmercury in particular is notoriously toxic, but found use as an antifungal agent and insecticide . Merbromin and phenylmercuric borate are used as topical antiseptics, while thimerosal is safely used as a preservative for vaccines and antitoxins.
The toxicity of methylmercury in humans is due to methyl mercury crossing the blood-brain barrier and causing cell lysis in the central nervous system. The cell damage is irreversible. The half-life of methylmercury in human tissue is 70 days, which allows it ample time to accumulate to toxic levels.