Although the toxicity of mercury has been known since ancient times, its therapeutic effects
were also utilized in a variety of drugs. In particular, mercurous chloride (calomel) was an
important drug for syphilis treatment, although some patients inevitably became mercury
poisoned. The occupational health risks were described by Bernardino Ramazzini 300 years
ago. Risks due to environmental contamination came to the forefront in around 1960 when
Minamata disease in Japan was found to be caused by mercury pollution from a local factory.
Recent risk assessments include the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR, 1994) U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP, 2002) and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (2001); these sources may be consulted for further information and
additional references