Mercury, Blood Unit Converter

A blood mercury test measures the amount of mercury circulating in your whole blood. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that has no beneficial role in the human body.

Mercury exists in three forms that can harm health: elemental (liquid metal and vapor), inorganic (mercury salts), and organic (methylmercury and ethylmercury). Blood levels primarily reflect exposure to organic mercury from dietary sources such as fish and seafood, as well as recent exposure to elemental mercury vapor.

Because blood mercury levels rise and fall relatively quickly after exposure, this test is most useful for detecting recent or ongoing exposure rather than long-term accumulation.

Mercury is not produced by the body. It enters the bloodstream through external sources, primarily by eating fish and seafood containing methylmercury, inhaling elemental mercury vapor (from occupational exposure or broken thermometers), or contact with inorganic mercury compounds.