methylmercury

American  

[meth-uhl-mur-kyuh-ree] / ˌmɛθ əlˈmɜr kjə ri /

noun

Chemistry.

1. any of several extremely toxic organometallic compounds, Hg(CH3 ) 2 , formed from metallic mercury by the action of microorganisms and capable of entering the food chain: used as seed disinfectants.

---

Etymology

Origin of methylmercury

First recorded in 1915–20; methyl + mercury

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

methylmercury

In 1971, he moved to Minamata, Japan, a coastal city where methylmercury discharged by a chemical company was polluting the water and causing horrendous genetic damage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Exposure studies usually test for methylmercury, a powerful neurotoxin formed when bacteria, in this case in rivers, metabolize inorganic mercury.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2024

Mercury entering marine ecosystems is converted into methylmercury, the most dangerous form of the chemical.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2024

Scientists determined that the concentration found in these insects are a good stand-in for estimating the amount of methylmercury bioaccumulation in amphibians, and there is already a nationwide USGS/National Park Service project underway sampling them.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2023

Of the 13 metals and two classes of chemicals tested, three contaminants surpassed federal and local standards at varying levels of fish consumption: mercury, or methylmercury; polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs; and dioxins/furans.

From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2022