**6. Health risks associated with mercury hazards**

The excessive population growth, Industrial Revolution, and unmanaged development led to negative impacts on the surrounding environment [34, 35].

Consumption of food high in its content of mercury is the main route of Hg-mediated health risks [12, 36]. Long-term human exposure to Hg increases its level in blood, sometimes exceeding 150 ng mL−1 [37], and this results in negative health risks related to neurodevelopment and neurotoxicity in children and adults [8, 23, 38], immunological, cardiac, motor reproductive and genetic disorders [13], nephrotic syndrome, peripheral neuropathy complications, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, autism, lupus and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [39]. Other symptoms may be included such as poor muscle coordination, tingling, numbness in fingers and toes [40, 41], reduced oxidative defense, thrombosis, vascular smooth muscle dysfunction, endothelial dysfunction, and dyslipidemia [33].
