Mercury is a shiny, silver-white metal and is one of the least abundant elements in the earth's crust.
What is mercury used in?
Metallic mercury has been commonly used in thermometers, pressure gauges, electric switches, fluorescent lamps, and dental fillings. Inorganic mercury compounds (such as mercuric chloride) are used in batteries, paper manufacturing, and the chemical industry. Mercury is used to prevent mildew in outdoor paints. It was also used in the past in indoor paints and agricultural pesticides. This metal is also used in electrical equipment and some water pumps.
How does mercury get into drinking water?
There are many ways that mercury can get into your drinking water. Rain and snow can carry mercury from the air into surface waters supplies such as lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Mercury can seep into underground water supplies from industrial and hazardous waste sites. Improperly disposed household products, such as mercury containing outdoor paints, can move through the soil and reach private well water supplies. Past applications of mercury-based pesticides on agricultural lands, such as farms and fruit orchards, can wash into nearby surface waters or travel through the soil into underground water supplies.
What are the health concerns with mercury?
Mercury can cause a variety of harmful health effects in the body. The type and severity of these health effects depend upon the form and amount of mercury that you are exposed to, and how much mercury has built up in the body over time. Exposure at high levels may result in kidney disease or central nervous system problems. Young children and developing fetuses are at greatest risk of the harmful effects of mercury.
The recommended treatment method is Reverse Osmosis or Distillation.