Methylmercury vs. Mercury — What's the Difference?

Known for its high neurotoxicity.

Toxic to the nervous system when vapors are inhaled.

Subject to bioaccumulation in aquatic food chains.

A heavy, silvery d-block element, liquid at room temperature.

Results from microbial methylation of inorganic mercury.

Recyclable and subject to disposal regulations.

A chemical compound where mercury is bonded to a methyl group.

Released into the environment through industrial processes.

Regulated by international guidelines in the food industry.

Used historically in various medicines and cosmetics.

Methylmercury (sometimes methyl mercury) is an extremely toxic organometallic cation with the formula [CH3Hg]+. Its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for humans.

Roman Mythology A god that served as messenger to the other gods and was himself the god of commerce, travel, and thievery.

(chemical compound) The organometallic cation CH₃Hg⁺; it is a toxicant that accumulates in the environment in the form of various compounds

The smallest of the planets and the one nearest the sun, having a sidereal period of revolution about the sun of 87.97 days at a mean distance of 57.91 million kilometers (35.98 million miles) and a mean radius of approximately 2,440 kilometers (1,516 miles).

Symbol HgA silvery-white poisonous metallic element, liquid at room temperature and used in thermometers, barometers, vapor lamps, and batteries and in the preparation of chemical pesticides. Atomic number 80; atomic weight 200.59; melting point -38.83°C; boiling point 356.62°C; specific gravity 13.546 (at 20°C); valence 1, 2.Also called quicksilver. See Periodic Table.

Temperature:The mercury had fallen rapidly by morning.

Any of several weedy plants of the genera Mercurialis and Acalypha.

A metal.

A silvery-colored, toxic, metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg.

One of the elemental principles formerly thought to be present in all metals.

(with definite article) Ambient pressure or temperature (from the use of mercury in barometers and thermometers).

(obsolete) Liveliness, volatility.

Any of several types of plant.

An annual plant, annual mercury (Mercurialis annua), formerly grown for its medicinal properties; French mercury, herb mercury.

Any plant of any species of the genus and the genus Mercurialis.

A similar edible plant (Blitum bonus-henricus), otherwise known as English mercury or novern=1.

The poison oak or poison ivy.

A Latin god of commerce and gain; - treated by the poets as identical with the Greek Hermes, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of eloquence.

A metallic element mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar, one of its ores. It is a heavy, opaque, glistening liquid (commonly called quicksilver), and is used in barometers, thermometers, etc. Specific gravity 13.6. Symbol Hg (Hydrargyrum). Atomic weight 199.8. Mercury has a molecule which consists of only one atom. It was named by the alchemists after the god Mercury, and designated by his symbol,

One of the planets of the solar system, being the one nearest the sun, from which its mean distance is about 36,000,000 miles. Its period is 88 days, and its diameter 3,000 miles.

A carrier of tidings; a newsboy; a messenger; hence, also, a newspaper.

Sprightly or mercurial quality; spirit; mutability; fickleness.

A plant (Mercurialis annua), of the Spurge family, the leaves of which are sometimes used for spinach, in Europe.

To wash with a preparation of mercury.

A heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures

(Roman mythology) messenger of Jupiter and god of commerce; counterpart of Greek Hermes

The smallest planet and the nearest to the sun

Temperature measured by a mercury thermometer;

Mercury is used in various devices like thermometers, barometers, and in some electrical switches.

Methylmercury is most commonly found in aquatic environments, particularly in predatory fish.

Mercury vapor is primarily neurotoxic through inhalation, whereas methylmercury is ingested and affects the central nervous system.

Methylmercury is a toxic compound formed when mercury combines with carbon.

Organisms become contaminated primarily through the food chain, where methylmercury accumulates in fish and shellfish.

It is released through natural geological processes, industrial emissions, and through the improper disposal of mercury-containing products.

People are primarily exposed through the consumption of contaminated fish and shellfish.

Minimizing exposure includes avoiding the use of mercury-containing products and consuming lower on the aquatic food chain.

The major health risks include neurological damage, particularly to unborn children and infants.

Safety guidelines include strict limits on mercury in items like batteries, lamps, and medical equipment.

Measures include regulations on industrial emissions, safe disposal practices, and international treaties like the Minamata Convention.

Actions include improving industrial processes, promoting mercury-free alternatives, and enforcing environmental regulations.

It can cross the placental barrier and affect the development of the fetus's brain.

Historically, mercury was used in traditional medicines and rituals, often for its supposed healing properties.

Symptoms include tremors, memory problems, and mood swings, among others.