Meaning & use
mercury poisoning
Last updated
UK/ˈmɜːkjəri ˈpɔɪzənɪŋ/
US/ˈmɜːrkjəri ˈpɔɪzənɪŋ/
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
Illness caused by taking in too much mercury, which can harm the brain, nerves and kidneys.
Grammar: Uncountable: he suffered from mercury poisoning.
Patterns
- mercury poisoning from something
Doctors diagnosed mercury poisoning from contaminated fish.
Workers in the old mine were at risk of mercury poisoning.
Symptoms of mercury poisoning include tremors and memory loss.
Common combinations
- suffer from mercury poisoning
- The patient suffered from mercury poisoning.
- cause mercury poisoning
- Dental waste can cause mercury poisoning.
- risk of mercury poisoning
- Pregnant women are warned about the risk of mercury poisoning.
- symptoms of mercury poisoning
- The symptoms of mercury poisoning vary.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mercurialism
- Is the technical medical term.
- hydrargyria
- Is an old medical term, now rare.
Word family
- mercury noun
- a toxic liquid metal
- poisoning noun
- illness from a toxic substance
Commonly confused: mercury poisoning or lead poisoning?
mercury poisoning vs lead poisoning
Lead poisoning comes from the metal lead, with different sources and effects.
Practice
What is a common source of mercury poisoning?
Choose one answer.
Mercury builds up in some fish and can poison people who eat them often. The other options are harmless.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mercury poisoning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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