Mercury toxicity of 54 year old female- how to cure this?
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A 54-year-old female presented to clinic with fever, cough, night sweats, weight loss, and pain in the extremities, all of which began 10 d earlier. Two weeks earlier, the youngest son of the family came home with an unknown putty-like substance he obtained from his school’s science lab, which was subsequently determined to be mercury. The mercury spilled on the floor of the house and 2 weeks later the mother cleaned it up and poured it down the sink; as such, the family was exposed via inhalation and/or dermal contact during a 2-week period.
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@bubun Mercury is a liquid element that is easily vaporized and inhaled at room temperature. Acute inhalation of mercury vapors can lead to pneumonia, ARDS, progressive pulmonary fibrosis, and death. In addition, elemental (metallic) mercury can easily enter systemic circulation directly via the skin or inhalation of mercury vapors via the alveoli. Universally, chelating agents, including dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), dimercaprol (BAL), and 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulphonate (DMPS), are used to treat mercury intoxication. Mercury quickly evaporates and pollutes the air we breathe. Glass mercury thermometers can break in the mouth, causing the inhalation and/or ingestion of mercury. Proper disposal of fluorescent light bulbs, which also contain mercury, and mercury thermometers is essential; they shouldn’t simply be put out with the trash—in fact most cities and towns have ordinances prohibiting such disposal. The proper authorities must handle any spill using appropriate mercury decontamination kits and procedures.