The crust of the earth contains the heavy element mercury. Even modest amounts of exposure can have negative health effects because it is poisonous to humans.
Chronic mercury poisoning can result from prolonged exposure. Mad hatter syndrome or sickness may be used to describe this.
Erethism, a serious neurological complication of mad hatter illness, can occur among some people. It may cause symptoms, such as weakness, behavioural abnormalities, and headaches.
Mad hatter sickness is rather rare. People who are exposed to mercury at work are more prone to develop chronic mercury poisoning. An increased risk is also present in young children and those who consume a lot of seafood.
Continue reading to find out more about crazy hatter sickness. We’ll look at the name’s origin, the signs, and the available treatments.
Hatters and Erethism
Mercury was used by hat makers during the 18th and 20th centuries to stiffen felt for hats. They labored in cramped spaces while using mercuric nitrate, a form of mercury.
The hatters inhaled mercury vapors over time. Many people experienced tremors, insanity, and other persistent mercury poisoning symptoms. Hatters began to exhibit these signs so frequently that the expression “mad as a hatter” was coined.
Mercury was utilized in hat manufacturing in the United States up to 1941.