Mercury

Mercury

Held fascination for the ancient alchemist but its worth was found in economic enterprises over the years. It has been used in medicine, agriculture and industry for a wide variety of purposes. Its use as a catalyst in the plastic industry as well as numerous incidents of poisoning have served to focus on the hazard it represents in the physical environment. A finding of particular interest in the Minimata poisoning incident in Japan was that this metal, like some others, may be methylated in the environment to pose an even greater hazard through bioaccumulation and intrinsic toxicity.