Mercurochrome

Mercurochrome is the trademarked brand name for merbromin, and it is used as an antiseptic product made of this substance. It was marketed until 1998 when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deemed it “not generally recognized as safe” because of it’s 26% mercury content, this because mercury in large enough doses is a poison.

Until this time, mercurochrome had been traditionally daubed on children's cuts and scrapes because it effectively killed germs, and it didn’t hurt too much. It also left a beautiful stain of red on the skin which is interesting because Mercurochrome itself is a green powder that turns red in water. It's use has been discontinued because no one wanted to risk mercurochrome being a source of mercury poisoning, especially in children.

Mercury exposure and subsequent poisoning can have various sources. The main source is the consumption of plants and animals, particularly fish, although soil, water and even the atmosphere absorbs mercury and retains it. Exposure usually is attributed to factories that emit mercury vapors and from the improper use or disposal of mercury and mercury-containing objects. Some of the more significant sources of which are mercury from dental fillings, mercury based thermometers and even broken fluorescent light bulbs.

Mercury and its related compounds are commonly used in laboratories, hospitals, dental clinics, and facilities involved in the production fluorescent lights, batteries, and explosives.