Acrodynia due to mercury poisoning3/20/2024 However, no cases of mercury poisoning were reported for the following 10 years. Around this time, multiple cases of mercury poisoning occurred in workers of fluorescent lamp, mercury thermometer, and mercury battery factories. In Korea, the death of a 15-year-old student owing to mercury poisoning from working at a mercury thermometer factory in 1988, increased public awareness on this matter. Meanwhile, the current trend of replacing mercury-containing fluorescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which contain small amounts of mercury, or light emitting diodes (LEDs), which do not contain any mercury, has reduced the risk of occupational metal mercury poisoning. However, in developed countries, disposal or recycling of mercury and unintentional environmental exposure, rather than occupational exposure, are urgent problems. ASGM is an industry with potential risk of elemental mercury poisoning, and it is the leading cause of occupational mercury poisoning. ASGM accounts for approximately 37% of global mercury emissions, and approximately 15 million people, including three million women and children, in over 70 countries worldwide are estimated to be ASGM workers. The three major areas of elevated mercury emissions and releases were thermal power generation in Asia, particularly China expansion of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), as a result of the rising value of gold and pauperization of rural communities and disposal of mercury-containing products. In contrast, mercury emissions and releases mildly increased from 1930 tons in 2005 to 1960 tons in 2010. The declining trend persisted until 2005 and demand stabilized in the 2010s. Chelation therapy should be performed promptly following mercury poisoning to minimize damage.Īccording to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), global mercury demand has dropped significantly from 9000 tons in the 1960s to 4000 tons in the 1990s. ConclusionĪwareness of the perils of mercury and prevention of mercury exposure are critical for preventing health hazards caused by mercury vapor. However, symptomatic treatment did not result in satisfactory relief of these symptoms. Two workers underwent urologic treatment for dysfunction of the urologic system and impotence. Furthermore, three workers developed a coarse jerky movement, two had swan neck deformity of the fingers, and two received care at an anesthesiology clinic for paresthesia, such as burning sensation, cold sensation, and pain. Seven workers underwent psychiatric care owing to sleep disturbance, anxiety disorder, and depression, and three workers underwent dermatologic treatment for hyperpigmentation, erythematous skin eruption, and chloracne-like skin lesions. Following alleviation of these initial symptoms, late symptoms, such as easy fatigue, insomnia, bad dreams, and anxiety disorder, began to manifest in 10 out of 18 patients. Early symptoms of 18 workers included a general skin rash, pruritus, myalgia, sleep disturbance, and cough and sputum production. Case presentationĮighteen out of the 21 workers who participated in the demolition project presented with symptoms of poisoning and, of these, 10 had persistent symptoms even at 18 months after the initial exposure to mercury vapor. In 2015, workers dismantling a fluorescent lamp factory in Korea were affected by mercury poisoning from exposure to mercury vapor.
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