When dealing with Mercury it is important to exercise extreme caution as Mercury is very toxic. If you are dealing with Mercury and start to feel sensory impairment such as loss of speech, hearing, or vision - then you may be experiencing Mercury poisoning. Other common symptops of Mercury poisoning are things like itching or burning pains, skin discoloration or swelling or peeling of the skin.

Currently humans are exposed to Mercury mostly through fish consumption. Plants and animals can contain small levels of Mercury however fish have the highest concentration of Mercury in any of the foods we eat. Small amounts of Mercury over time can cause serious health conditions. That is why if you love fish - you'll have to find a way to still enjoy your favorite meal while avoiding Mercury at all costs.

If young children are exposed to Mercury can have terrible neurological consequences and special care should be given to avoid children coming-into contact with any amount of Mercury. It is important to understand the different forms you can find Mercury in and dangers associated with each:

Liquid Mercury Dangers:

Liquid Mercury, also known as Quicksilver is not easily absorbed through ingestion or skin contact contrary to popular belief. The danger with liquid Mercury is the release of toxic Mercury vapor into the air. Around 80% of inhaled Mercury vapor is absorbed in the respiratory tract - this feeds the vapor into the circulatory system spreading it throughout your body.

Inorganic Mercury Dangers:

Salts like Mercury Chloride are a good example of how Mercury can exist in an inorganic form. If ingested these salts can cause severe kidney damage however cannot make it across the blood-brain barrier so do not cause much if any neurological damage unless victic experiences extreme continuous exposure.

Organic Mercury Compound Dangers:

Mercury compounds can oftentimes be more dangerous than Mercury itself causing life-threatening conditions like brain and liver damage. Dimethylmercury is considered to be the most toxic Mercury compound - even a small amount of this can kill a human just by making contact with the skin. MethylMercury makes its way up the food chain through a process called Bioaccumulation. This means that animals can show increased exposure to Mercury over time infecting the food chain they are a part of.

Mercury and Fish:

The FDA and EPA suggest that young children and pregnant women should avoid eating swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish. They also suggest that tuna consumption is reduced to no more than 6oz (170g) a week.

As a general rule you shouldn't be eating more than 12oz (340g) of fish or shellfish a week if you are a pregnant woman or young child.

In a recent study looking at the risks of fish consumption, researchers determined that adults benefited from one to two servings of fish per week and faced no health risks. In fact, researchers determined that a stall in fish consumption could cause in increase in heart disease and poor neural development in children.