![CP_VP4_935](/dontmesswithmercury/images/siteidentity/CP_VP1_734.jpg)
Mercury and Your Body
Check out how mercury can affect the human body. Click on the different parts of the body to see what can happen when people are poisoned by mercury. How serious these health effects are may vary depending on how much mercury gets into your body — and how long you breathe it in.
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Brain & Nervous
System
Mercury may cause damage to the nervous system, especially the brain. Brain damage from mercury poisoning can cause people to have:
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Trouble remembering things
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Difficulty sleeping
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Changes in mood, like feeling cranky, nervous, tired, or shy
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Numbness in the hands and feet
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Trembling (shaking)
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Problems with muscle coordination (tripping, dropping things, falling down)
Ears
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Trouble hearing
Eyes
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Red eyes
Mouth
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Tasting metal
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Swollen gums
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Drooling
Head
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Headache
Throat
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Sore throat
Heart
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High blood pressure
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Fast heart rate
Lungs
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Cough
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Pain when breathing
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Feeling out of breath
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Damage to the lungs
Stomach & Intestines
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Feeling sick to your stomach
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Nausea
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Diarrhea
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Not feeling hungry
Kidneys
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Damage to the kidneys
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Damage to the kidneys
Skin
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Red, itchy rashes
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Peeling hands and feet
Reproductive System
Mercury poisoning is especially dangerous for an unborn baby (fetus)
Body
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Fever
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Feeling tired
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Muscle aches
Key:
Health effect caused by breathing in high levels of mercury vapors (fumes) over a short period of time
Health effect caused by breathing in lower levels of mercury vapors over a long period of time
Page last reviewed: June 22, 2018
Content source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry