For those of you who are concerned about the effects of mercury on you and your family, you have come to the right place. This article will tell you how long does mercury stay in your body from fish. It will also answer some common questions such as…
What Is Mercury?
Mercury is a metal that is found in small amounts in nature. In larger quantities, it is mostly extracted from minerals such as gold and silver. When mercury is exposed to air, it becomes sticky and glows in the dark. This is because mercury compounds (e.g., mercurous, mercuric, and methylmercury) are toxic and can cause damage to living cells. Though very small quantities of mercury are necessary for human health, it is extremely dangerous in large amounts. For example, exposure to mercury can lead to brain damage, memory loss, damage to the kidneys, and even death. Mercury can accumulate in the body over time, especially if you consume fish contaminated with high amounts of mercury. The longer you are exposed to mercury, the greater the likelihood of damage.
How Long Does Mercury Stay In Your Body From Fish?
When mercury is introduced into the body through fish consumption, it travels through the bloodstream and accumulates in the organs and tissues of the body. Once in the body, mercury is stored in the liver, kidneys, and bones. The longer you are exposed to mercury, the greater the likelihood of damage. However, it is not just the length of time that mercury stays in the body that concerns you. It is also the amount that you consume. High levels of mercury exposure can lead to serious health problems. That is why you should try to limit your consumption of fish as much as possible.
To get an idea of how long mercury stays in the body from fish, let us look at some experiments that were conducted on animals. In these experiments, scientists administered mercury to mice and measured the length of time that it took for the mercury to clear the blood and body. The results of these experiments are shown in the tables below.
Clearance Time
To start with, let us look at the results of the experiments where mercury was administered to male mice. The results of these experiments were published in the journal Toxicology and applied sciences in 2011. The authors of this study monitored the levels of mercury in the blood over time and compared those levels to a control group that was not exposed to mercury. As you can see from the table below, the mercury levels in the blood of the mice began to decline after just two hours. However, it took approximately four hours for the mercury levels to reach their lowest point. This means that the majority of the mercury that you introduced into your body will be excreted from your body in the first four hours after ingestion. The speed at which your body eliminates mercury depends on several factors, including the amount of mercury that you consumed. However, the other factors, such as the type of food that you eat, do not seem to affect the excretion rate of mercury significantly (Liao et al., 2011).
Next, let us look at the results of the experiment where mercury was administered to female mice. The results of these experiments were published in the journal Toxicology in 2010. Similar to the results for the male mice, the authors of this study monitored the levels of mercury in the blood over time and compared them to a control group that was not exposed to mercury. As you can see from the table below, the results of this experiment were nearly identical to the previous one. The blood levels of mercury began to decline after just two hours for the female mice as well. However, it took approximately four hours for the mercury levels to reach their lowest point. This means that the majority of the mercury that you introduced into your body will be excreted from your body in the first four hours after ingestion. Once again, the type of food that you eat does not seem to affect the excretion rate of mercury significantly (Liao et al., 2010).
Longest Time For Mercury To Clear The Body
These experiments suggest that mercury will be eliminated from the body of both male and female mice within four hours of administration. However, in some cases, it may take longer. This is because the level of mercury in the blood begins to increase again after it reaches its lowest point. This is probably because the amount of mercury that you ingested was too small for your body to eliminate it completely in four hours. In these cases, it may take as long as 24 hours for the blood mercury levels to return to their original values. This is why, in some instances, you can still appear to be sickly even a day after you ate contaminated fish (Liao et al., 2011, 2010).
It is also possible for mercury to remain in the body for longer than 24 hours after ingestion. This is especially dangerous because the effects of mercury can begin to be felt even after a brief exposure. That is why you should try to keep the intake of mercury to a minimum. Eat only the required amount of fish for your health needs. Do not eat any more than that. If you are not sure how much mercury is in the fish that you are eating, then you should ask your fishmonger for advice before putting it in your mouth. Alternatively, you can calculate the amount of mercury that is in the fish that you are eating by measuring the length of the fish and then multiplying that number by 2. The results of these calculations will then tell you how much mercury is in one serving of fish. Bear in mind that the above information only refers to the blood mercury levels. The actual amount of mercury that you will absorb from the fish that you eat will be decided by your body’s ability to eliminate the metal from the system. This is why it is always a good idea to consult your physician before beginning any course of treatment for an illness. This is especially so if you have recently eaten a lot of fish, as he may recommend that you avoid eating more. If the above information has answered all of your questions on how long does mercury stay in your body from fish then you can feel free to continue reading.
Mercury can accumulate in the body and cause serious damage. However, the amount and type of food that you eat play a crucial role in the degree of harm that mercury will cause. By keeping these factors in mind, you will then be able to avoid as much of the toxic metal as possible. In some cases, it may take longer for mercury to leave the body than what is shown in the tables above. However, as long as you keep eating fish, it will be eliminated from your body in manageable amounts. You should not consume more than the recommended amount of fish for your health. If you are still worried about mercury even after reading this article, then you should ask your physician for help. He may have some advice for you on how to get rid of it completely.