Reduce exposure to mercury from dental fillings Refer to the Environment Protection Authority Victoria website for how to clean up mercury spills External Link. These include thermostats and some medical equipment (such as a sphygmomanometer which measures blood pressure). Other devices around the home can contain more than 2 tablespoons of mercury. These spills should be cleaned up immediately and carefully. Intact, these are not dangerous, but when broken there is the possibility of mercury exposure through inhaling mercury vapour and absorbing mercury through skin contact. Spirit-containing thermometers are now widely available, but some people still use thermometers containing 'quicksilver' mercury. Reduce exposure to mercury from thermometers and other devices The mercury-containing bulbs include fluorescent tube lamps and compact low-energy bulbs mostly used in homes.Īlthough the amount of mercury in a single bulb or lamp is very small and unlikely to cause harm to people, care needs to be taken when a bulb or lamp is broken as this will release the mercury vapour. The amount of low-energy light bulb use has greatly increased with some of these light bulbs containing small amounts of mercury. In 2010, new standards were introduced for low-energy bulbs in Australia. Reduce exposure to mercury from fluorescent lamps and low-energy light bulbs Refer to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria website External Link for information.įish oil products and supplements are not a major source of dietary mercury and there is no need to restrict your intake due to mercury content. Large brown trout and redfin, in the Upper Goulburn River, Lake Eildon and surrounding rivers, are likely to have high levels of mercury. Goldmining has increased the level of mercury in some riverbeds and sediments. Some freshwater species of fish in Victoria can have high levels of mercury due to Victoria’s goldmining history. Refer to the FSANZ website External Link for guidance on portion size and number of portions of different types of fish that can be safety consumed in Australia for pregnant women, women planning pregnancy, children up to 6 years old and for everyone else. Pregnant women, women planning pregnancy, children and people with kidney disease, should minimise their fish consumption. Most people can still eat fish with higher levels of mercury, however, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) recommend that they should be eaten less often. Reduce exposure to mercury from fishĮducate yourself about the types of commercially available fish and recreationally caught fish that are more likely to contain higher levels of mercury. There are a number of precautions that you can take to minimise your exposure to mercury while also reducing the amount of mercury in our environment. Amalgam fillings contain mercury that when replaced and removed from teeth, increase the risk of mercury exposure from inhaling mercury vapour and swallowing amalgam fragments. dental fillings – modern white fillings do not contain mercury.mercury thermometers – the pure mercury (or ‘quicksilver’) from broken thermometers poses some risk to people if they inhale mercury vapour and absorb mercury through skin contact.fluorescent lamps, low-energy light bulbs and batteries – if broken, there is a risk of inhaling mercury vapour and absorbing mercury through skin contact.larger fish species – if eaten in large quantities can increase the amount of mercury in your body.There are a number of common sources of mercury exposure including: Preventing or minimising exposure to mercury in your environment is the best way to reduce your risk of mercury poisoning. Inhaling mercury vapour can cause acute mercury poisoning. Typically, the larger or older the species of fish the higher the level of mercury. The majority of mercury exposure to humans is through methylmercury that has entered the food chain through fish. It is also produced as a waste product in various industrial processes. Inorganic mercury may be released into the air when coal is burned to generate power. inorganic mercury – is naturally present in combination with other elements in mineral ores.organic mercury – where elemental mercury is converted by bacteria in water to methylmercury, which is ingested or absorbed by fish and enters the food chain.
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