Mercury is the name of a planet, a Roman god, and a make of automobile. Most people are generally familiar with each of those three, but it is the mercury included in the periodic table of elements that demands more human understanding. For if modern society placed more of an emphasis on the grave dangers of mercury exposure, perhaps fewer people would be afflicted with devastating illnesses and diseases.

Mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive element on Earth, and the World Health Organization has declared that no level of mercury can be considered to be safe. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded in a 2001 study that one in every 10 American women of childbearing age is at risk for having a baby born with neurological problems due to mercury exposure.

There are three important types of mercury, and each type poses a serious health hazard to humans.

The first type, elemental mercury, is a liquid that gives off mercury vapor at room temperature. This vapor can be inhaled into the lungs and passed into the bloodstream. Elemental mercury can also enter the bloodstream by passing through the skin.

Inorganic mercury compounds, the second type, can also be inhaled as well as pass through the skin. Unlike elemental mercury, however, inorganic mercury compounds can also be absorbed through the stomach if swallowed. Elemental mercury, if swallowed, is not absorbed and usually passes out of the body without harm. Many inorganic mercury compounds are irritating or corrosive to the skin, eyes and mucus membranes.

The third type of mercury, organic mercury compounds, can enter the body through all three routes