The seed grain had been treated with a fungicide containing methyl-mercury before it was shipped from Mexico. The seed was supposed to be planted, but instead it was used directly to make bread. In a very short time, the metal worked its way into the food chain and caused acute toxicity in those who ate fish caught in that region. Although only 52 people died as a result of the immediate exposure to the chemical, hundreds of adults and their children have since developed degenerative neurological disorders characteristic of acute mercury exposure. Mercury use is still widespread today in dentistry and in the manufacture of thermometers, barometers, pigments, fungicides, insecticides and dry cell batteries.
Fluorescent lamps contain mercury.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reported that mercury contamination in the ecosystem is pervasive worldwide. In fact, it turns up in very unexpected places. She was wearing latex gloves and goggles but a tiny drop of the deadly mercury compound seeped through the gloves. No one knows for sure what effect mercury dental fillings may have on our health. But many people feel that their lingering illnesses are as a result of the small amounts of mercury that is released daily from the fillings.