Mercury vapour enters the body through the air. It destroys kidneys, brain and eyes. Symptoms include loss of teeth and neurological problems which leads to death. Methyl mercury accumulates in fish and passes up the food chain. It is found in high levels in the top carnivores, the larger older fish. Mercury is used by artisanal miners to extract gold. The mercury is removed from the gold as a vapour contaminating miners and those close by. In Colombia, high mercury vapour can be found in dense urban areas. Mercury is also a by-product of burning coal for electricity and is found around power stations. Mercury is used in the new compact fluorescent light bulbs and too often these are just dumped when they no longer work.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/mercury-e28093-a-hazard-in-the-oceans-and-on-the-land/3909062
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