Mercury: Assessing the environmental burden of disease at national and local levels

Environmental burden of disease series, No. 16

This document provides a review of the health effects of elemental, inorganic, and Methylmercury and methods for estimating the burden of disease for methylmercury. Elemental mercury can cause a variety of health effects. Methylmercury has been associated with adult neurological problems, and there is some evidence that methylmercury exposure affects the adult cardiovascular system. However, the data for these effects are insufficient for a quantitative analysis. As a result, the quantitative aspect of this report focuses on the neurodevelopmental toxicity of methylmercury.