Mercury, Shiny Devil Heavy Metal.

Global mercury emissions inventories continue to improve as new data and better data become available concerning some sources. The method for compiling the inventory of anthropogenic emissions to the atmosphere has also been revised and improved. Differences in air pollution control technologies and differences in the mercury content of raw materials

and fuels in different countries and regions have been factored into emissions calculations to better reflect actual conditions in each country. In the Global Mercury Assessment 2013, a new updated inventory, based on data from 2010, is presented in which some new sources (including emissions from combustion of natural gas and primary aluminium production and emissions associated with oil refining) have been quantified for the first time. A more detailed analysis has also been made of some of the major mercury emission sectors, including the break-down of emissions from coal burning in power plants, industrial and other uses. In addition, new information acquired through the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership area on Reducing Mercury in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining,

in particular from the Artisanal Gold Council, has resulted in a significant re-evaluation of emissions from the ASGM sector(UNEP Global Mercury,2013).

Mercury, is one of heavy metal that has dangerous effect to our body. In periodic table of chemistry, mercury is number 80 atoms in group 12 or IIB. Mercury is the only metal that has liquid fase at room temperature (25 degree of celcius) with silver colour. Mercury is volatile metal.

Mercury in the nature is classified by 3 form. there is metal mercury, organic mercury and anorganic mercury. Metal Mercury is described in paragraph one. Anorganic Mercury is Mercury that has interaction (bonding or just interaction) with anorganic compound, such as Clorin, sulphur e.t.c. Anorganic mercury can soluble in alcohol. that compound can make presipitation of asam amino in our body.

Organic Mercury is mercury that has interaction with an or more organic compound, such as  metil, etil, phenil e.t.c. this compound can make the liphopillus compound. liphopillus compound can easily absorbed to the brain. thats why organic mercury or organo mercury is more dangerous then Anorganic Mercury. 

Mercury usually enter human body by food. food that contamination with mercury, can make our body contaminated by mercury. Mercury usually form of anorganic mercury in our body. anorganic compound can make protein precipitate in human organ. mercury anorganic that ionize will be Hg 2+.  Hg 2+ can bonding with two of cystein make dicysteinilmercury. In 1993, Clarkson discussed the concept that mercury, and other metals, form complexes with biological molecules that mimic structurally endogenous molecules. For example, the complex formed between methylmercury and cysteine is thought to “mimic” the amino acid methionine, as a means to gain entry into the central nervous system via specific amino acid transporters. Evidence supporting this hypothesis comes from studies on the uptake and/or transport of methylmercury by astrocytes (Aschner et al., 1990) and the endothelial cells lining the blood-brain barrier (Aschner and Clarkson, 1989, Kerper et al., 1992). Another potential transportable molecular homolog may occur when inorganic mercury or methylmercury binds to glutathione. The complex formed when two molecules of glutathione bind to a single mercuric ion may also prove to be a functional molecular homolog of glutathione disulfide. The implication of a dicysteinylmercury complex being homologous to, or “mimicking,” the amino acid cystine does, however, appear to be a novel addition to the purported species of molecules that are involved in mimicry during the process of transporting a toxic metal into an epithelial cell.

RUDOLFS K. ZALUP

Sumber :

Clarkson TW (1972) The pharmacology of mercury compounds. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 12:375–406.

Clarkson TW (1993) Molecular and ionic mimicry of toxic metals. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 32:545–571.

Clarkson TW and Magos L (1967) The effect of sodium maleate on the renal disposition and excretion of mercury. Br J Pharmacol Chemother 31:560–567.

Conner EA and Fowler BA (1993) Mechanisms of metal-induced nephropathy, in Toxicity of the Kidney, 2nd ed (Hook JB and Goldstein RS eds) pp 437–457, Raven Press, New York.

Zalups RK (1995) Organic anion transport and action of g-glutamyltranspeptidase in kidney linked mechanistically to renal tubular uptake of inorganic mercury. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 132:289–298.