![]() The toxicity of methylmercury may also have reproductive consequences. Mercury interferes with the calcium channels that cells, especially nerve and muscle cells, use to carry out their functions." ![]() When children are exposed to mercury, they may have developmental or muscle coordination problems. "Mercury poisoning can result in hearing and vision changes, personality changes, memory problems, seizures or paralysis. "Most notable are the effects of mercury on the brain," said Aimee Phillippi, a professor of biology at Unity College in Unity, Maine. numbness or pain in certain parts of the skin.According to the NIH, long-term exposure to organic mercury can cause: Negative health effects from methylmercury may include neurological and chromosomal problems. The kidneys, which filter the blood, can accumulate mercury over time. Mercury from food sources is absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal wall, and then carried throughout the body. Since the process is so slow, most people don't realize they are being poisoned right away. Mercury poisoning is a slow process that can take months or years, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). "Methylmercury therefore displays clear evidence of biomagnification, where its concentrations are higher in predator tissue than in prey tissue." Health effects "Because the methylmercury is highly assimilated and lost extremely slowly from fish, there is a steady build-up of this form of mercury in aquatic food chains, such that long-lived fish at the top of the food chain are highly enriched in methylmercury," said Davis.
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