How much mercury (if swallowed) would it take to be lethal?

Question

no, just curious

Answer 1

Almost impossible to do. It is not the metallic form of mercury that poisons you but certain salts.

Answer 2

Neurological and gastrointestinal systems are most commonly effected by mercury poisoning. Most forms of mercury are chronic and not acute poisoning. Some mercury salts such as Hg(NO3)2 are very toxic with 50/50 LD's of about 1 g. If elemental mercury (the metal that used to be found in thermometers) is swallowed it could be adsorbed into the body since it is soluble in fat which then would be turned into an inorganic divalent form of mercury through catalase. The divalent form of mercury is similar to mercury salts and would persist to form central nervous system toxicity.

A brief summer of mercury toxicity can be found here:
http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic813.htm
"Neurologic, gastrointestinal, and renal systems are the most commonly affected organ systems in mercury exposure.
* Organic mercury - Most devastating to the CNS
o Short-chained (methylmercury) - Affects the CNS
o Long-chained - Subacute/chronic effects similar to that of inorganic mercury exposure
* Elemental mercury - Primary neurologic toxicity
* Inorganic mercury salts
o Acute - Severe corrosive gastroenteritis, acute tubular necrosis
o Subacute or chronic - GI, neurologic, and renal dysfunction"

All in all not good stuff. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Try sniffing it , mercury vapor is much more lethal than swallowing .

Potential Sequelae
Respiratory effects from high-dose acute exposures might resolve or gradually progress to adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), respiratory failure, and death. Patients with severe pulmonary toxicity can develop interstitial fibrosis and residual restrictive pulmonary disease. Other sequelae of exposure to elemental mercury include effects on the CNS and kidneys. These can occur after high-dose acute inhalation exposure and are similar to the effects observed following chronic lower-dose exposures (see below).

Answer 4

They once treated everything know to man with mercury and it did kill people that took it, but it took a long time. People do wonder a lot of things, don't they! And they make me wonder!

Answer 5

r u trying to commit suicide or sumthing?

Answer 6

ask your doctor