RT Report
T1 Mercury Environmental Aspects: Environmental Health Criteria 86
A1 United Nations Environment Programme, 
A1 International Labour Organisation, 
A1 World Health Organization, 
K1 environmental health
K1 toxic substance
K1 chemical
K1 mercury
K1 micro-organism
K1 aquatic ecology
K1 terrestrial ecosystem
K1 marine environment
K1 freshwater ecosystem
K1  Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
K1 Health
K1 Mercury
K1 Pollution
SN 924 154286 1
YR 1989
FD 1989
LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/29404
UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/29404
NO Mercury is a metal which is liquid at normal temperatures and pressures. It forms salts in two ionic states mercury(I) and mercury (II). Mercury (II), or mercuric, salts are very much more common than mercury(l) salts, and hence it is mercuric salts which will be mainly considered here. Mercury also forms organometallic compounds, some of which have found industrial and agricultural use. "Organometallic" is used here to indicate a covalently-bonded compound, and does not include mercury bound to proteins nor salts formed with organic acids. These organometallic compounds are stable, though some are readily broken down by living organisms, while others are not readily biodegraded. Elemental mercury gives rise to a vapour which dissolves only slightly in water.
DS UN Environment Document Repository
RD Sep 24, 2026