Mercury

Human activities such as burning coal and using mercury in manufacturing has increased the level of mercury in the environment. We can be exposed directly or by igesting organisms that have been exposed to it. In the United States we a primarily exposed to it when we eat fish or shellfish. Exposure to methylmercury can lead to; impaired neurological development; severe disabilities in infants that were exposed to it in the womb; poor peripheral vision; feeling "pins and needles" in the hands and feet (or around the mouth); lack of coordination; impaired hearing, speach, walking; and also weakness of the muscles.