Threats from Air, Water, and Food

Mercury, or the chemical element hydrargirum (Hg), whether in liquid or gas form, is very dangerous to the human health. Mercury takes the form of a heavy, silvery-white liquid metal at normal room temperature.

Mercury evaporates easily when burned. The vapor is colorless and odorless. Mercury in its liquid state has high surface tension so its shape is spherical when it is placed on a flat surface.

As it has low viscosity, mercury can easily be separated into smaller drops. Mercury can be found as elemental mercury, inorganic mercury, and organic mercury. The substance is widely used in small-scale gold mining to separate pure gold from gold ore.