Exposure to Mercury in the Air and Its Effect on Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD): A Systematic Review

We aimed to verify the exposure to mercury in the air and its effect on cardiovascular disorders. The review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and national databases (such as SID) from 1995-2022. Mercury exposure can cause many disorders in humans, including neurodevelopmental disorders in fetuses and children, adverse cardiovascular outcomes, hypertension, and diabetes. Mercury is a human neurotoxin, and in recent years its potentially harmful effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) have raised concerns, mainly due to mercury's role in reducing oxidative stress. Possible mechanisms of mercury toxicity in CVD include mercury-selenium interaction, increased lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress. In this article, we review studies that have investigated the relationship between mercury and CVD.