Large community meeting convened in Brunswick. Health risks vary depending upon the chemical form of mercury to which one is exposed. Mercury may be characterized as elemental, inorganic or organic. Exposure of LCP Plant workers to excessive levels of elemental and organic mercury has been cause for concern. Mercury also is a renal toxicant which inhibits the kidneys' ability to filter and eliminate waste, including toxic substances.
Scientists believe damage occurs at the cellular level.
Excretion of certain proteins and other substances, particularly porphyrins, in mercury-exposed persons is providing clues to the type and amount of kidney damage incurred. The current study will seek to determine whether porphyrin excretion patterns can serve as a biomarker of mercury exposure. The effects of chronic mercury exposure on the reproductive system are less well known. A form of the metal known as methylmercury has been associated with neurological damage to children exposed in utero during chemical accidents and has been shown to affect physical and behavioral development of animals exposed in utero. Among the few studies examining occupational mercury exposure, one found menstrual abnormalities among female workers though no birth defects or pregnancy losses.