High levels of mercury were likely caused by exposure to cinnabar, used to make a bright-red paint pigment
T he earliest evidence of mercury poisoning has been found in 5,000-year-old bones of humans buried in Spain and Portugal.Exposure to the naturally occurring heavy metal may have toxic effects on the body, including on the nervous, digestive and immune systems. That’s why the World Health Organization (WHO) considers mercury one of the top-ten chemicals of major health concern.