RE: [DL] mercury poisoning

[Lisa Kenison <lisa.kenison@asu.edu>]

here is what mercury poisoning does to you in real life...not sure what you
mean by old school deadlands effect...are you looking for a game mechanic to
roll on or something?

i say roll some dice and make something up :)

==================================

What is mercury?
Mercury is found naturally in the environment in several forms. In its
elemental form, mercury is a shiny, silver-white, liquid metal used in
thermometers and some electrical switches. It can be combined with other
elements to form inorganic compounds. Mercury can evaporate to form
colorless, odorless mercury vapors. Mercury can combine with organic
material to form organic compounds such as methylmercury (MeHg), which is
produced primarily by bacteria and is the form which poses the greatest
concern for environmental exposure. 

How can mercury affect my health?
Exposure to high levels of elemental mercury vapor can result in nervous
system damage including tremors, and mood and personality alterations.
Exposure to relatively high levels of inorganic mercury salts can cause
kidney damage. Adult exposure to relatively high levels of methylmercury
through fish consumption can result in numbness or tingling in the
extremities, sensory losses and loss of coordination. Exposure of the
developing fetus through maternal intake of contaminated fish can result in
neurologic developmental abnormalities in cognitive and motor functions.
Whether any of these symptoms actually occur, and the nature and severity of
the symptoms, depend on the amount of exposure.

What happens to mercury when it enters the environment?
Mercury is persistent, mobile and bioaccumulative in the environment,
meaning it is retained in organisms. Most of the mercury found in the
environment is inorganic mercury that can enter the air from several
sources. Examples of sources include emissions of coal-fired power plants,
burning municipal and medical waste, and natural processes such as erosion
of ores and volcanic activity. Methylmercury is quickly taken up into higher
organisms through the food chain and is retained in their bodies. It reaches
the highest levels in large predatory fish and in birds and mammals which
consume fish. Levels of methylmercury in fish are typically 100,000 times
those in the water in which they swim.

How can people be exposed to mercury?
People are most likely to be exposed to metallic mercury from mercury
released from dental fillings; however the amount of mercury released from
dental fillings is generally not considered to be high enough to cause
adverse health effects. Exposure may also result from industrial processes
or from breathing in air contaminated with vapors from metallic mercury
spills. Mercury in the form of methylmercury is of greatest concern, and the
common route of exposure is ingestion. Methylmercury is of particular
concern because it can build up in certain fish to much higher levels and
these fish may then be eaten by people. Federal Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) regulations prohibit the sale of commercial fish that are found to
have high concentrations of methylmercury. Also, state and federal
authorities issue public health advisories to warn people about eating fish
caught from local waters that are contaminated with mercury.

=========
i think mercury is also used during the practice of spiritist faiths such as
Santeria in Haitian- and Caribbean-American communities but i would have to
consult my voodoo books for you...hehe

there is also a form of autism associated with mercury poisoning:  Mercury
(Hg) is a toxic metal that can exist as a pure element or in a variety of
inorganic and organic forms and can cause immune, sensory, neurological,
motor, and behavioral dysfunctions similar to traits defining or associated
with autism...Thimerosal, a preservative frequently added to childhood
vaccines, has become a major source of Hg in human infants and toddlers

>Could anyone hazard a guess as to what the deadlands(old school) effect 
>murcury poinsening be?