Batteries- why is mercury bad for the environment?

Question

i'm doing an assessment on batterys and i need some help with this question.

manufacturers now produce batteries which DO NOT contain mercury. give factual reasons for this. (it is not a good enough reason to say it is bad for the environment and bad for people. you need to say why it is bad .)

if anyone could please help me with this question it would be verry good thankx . i will choose best answer :)

Answer 1

Ask the EPA.

The United States Clean Air Act, passed in 1990, put mercury on a list of toxic pollutants that need to be controlled to the greatest possible extent. Thus, industries that release high concentrations of mercury into the environment agreed to install maximum achievable control technologies (MACT).

It is estimated that environmental mercury has 1.1% from mercury production, mainly for batteries.

Answer 2

Mercury is highly poisonous...it  casues neurological damge than can lead to insanity and death. The "Mad hatter" character is so named because years ago hatmakers used liquid mercury to soften pelts into a form of velvet...the mercury soaked into their bodies  through skin contact...and hatters  in many cases went insane..hence the phrase "mad as a hatter".

  It is a heavy metal....collects in  meat and tissue and can cause traumatic and fatal birth defects.....fish is very susceptible to mercury poisioning...we eat the fish...we can get mercury poisoning as well.