How dangerous is inhaling mercury?

Inhaling mercury can cause severe acute lung disease, leading to symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and a burning sensation in the lungs.

Information about mercury contamination in the air in Hanoi has caused widespread panic because mercury is an extremely toxic substance. However, not all of Hanoi is affected by mercury contamination in the air.

Mainly found in Long Bien district.

The General Department of Environment's continuous automatic air quality monitoring station, located at 556 Nguyen Van Cu Street, Long Bien District, Hanoi, has recently been frequently issuing warnings about air pollution levels in Hanoi.

According to Dr. Hoang Duong Tung, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Environment, air pollution levels in Hanoi vary from time to time, and currently they are decreasing.

Nevertheless, the air quality index (AQI) measured on April 14th still fluctuated between 54 and 140 – a poor level according to the rating scale, advising sensitive individuals to limit their time outdoors.

These warnings are raising fears among the public.

Approximately six weeks earlier – in early March – the AQI in Hanoi sometimes reached 388, a very high level of pollution, the highest on the scale, recommending that people stay indoors (monitoring results from the US Embassy at 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi).

Specifically, the concentration of PM2.5 fine particulate matter is three times higher than the national standard for ambient air quality and seven times higher than the World Health Organization's recommendation.

Regarding the AQI index at that time, Dr. Tung said: "This index was 1.5 times higher than the permissible level. During this period, the pollution level decreased, but not because of a reduction in pollution sources, but because of the weather."

Looking at lessons from around the world, Mr. Tung believes that if effective environmental protection measures are not implemented soon, the air in Hanoi will inevitably become as severely polluted as in Beijing in the not-too-distant future, according to the Science and Development newspaper.

Harmful effects of inhaling mercury in the air.

When humans inhale mercury from the air, it is rapidly absorbed through the respiratory tract, passing through the alveolar membranes into the bloodstream, reaching the kidneys, liver, spleen, and central nervous system. Inhaling mercury can cause severe acute lung disease, leading to coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and a burning sensation in the lungs.

Additionally, mercury can cause memory loss, stomatitis, lethargy, seizures, vomiting, and enteritis. In some cases, it can cause acute poisoning, respiratory failure, and even death if exposed to large amounts of mercury.

Mercury vapor can also penetrate the body through the skin, causing allergic dermatitis, especially on the face, neck, armpits, and inner thighs. Symptoms include large areas of red rash, itching, and mild pain.

When experiencing mercury poisoning, you will initially feel a metallic taste in your mouth, followed by headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, general body aches, fatigue, and a cold stomach.

You may then experience insomnia, panic attacks, and unusual, unstable emotions before more severe symptoms appear.

According to VOV