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Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 1–2Cite as

Mercury Exposure

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Synonyms

Erethism; Mad hatter syndrome; Mercury toxicity

Definition

Direct or indirect contact with inorganic or organic forms of mercury, resulting in a deleterious alteration of body structure and/or function, including illness or death.

Current Knowledge

Exposure to elemental, organic (especially methylmercury), or salt forms of mercury is noted to be neurotoxic to humans. Any form of mercury coming into contact with the central nervous system tissue leads to toxic effects. This is accomplished most easily by elemental mercury vapor that is inhaled (usually in industrial or mining settings) or methylmercury ingestion (often via eating contaminated seafood).

As with most toxic substances, fetuses, infants, and young children are notoriously more vulnerable to mercury poisoning than adults, due to their immature bodily defenses and mercury’s tendency to interfere with nervous system development. In the 1950s in Minamata, Japan, pregnant women who were exposed to significant levels of...

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References and Readings

  • Hartman, D. (1995). Neuropsychological toxicology. New York: Plenum Press.

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  • Heron, J., & Golding, J. (2004). Thimerosal exposure in infants and developmental disorders: A prospective cohort study in the United Kingdom does not support a causal association. Pediatrics, 114(3), 577–583.

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  • Niesink, R., Jaspers, R., Kornet, L., van Ree, J., & Tilson, H. (1999). Introduction to neurobehavioral toxicology: Food and environment. New York: CRC Press.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuropsychology, Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, 4141 Shore Drive, Indianapolis, IN, 46254, USA

    Bradley J. Hufford

Authors
  1. Bradley J. Hufford
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bradley J. Hufford .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Richmond, Virgin Islands, USA

    Jeffrey Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation , West Orange, New Jersey, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Suite 200 , Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

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Hufford, B.J. (2016). Mercury Exposure. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_255-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_255-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56782-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56782-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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