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Mercurochrome

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Mercurochrome

Merbromin (marketed as Mercurochrome, Merbromine, Sodium mercurescein, Asceptichrome, Supercrome, Brocasept and Cinfacromin)

Is a topical antiseptic used for minor cuts and scrapes. Merbromin is an organomercuric disodium salt compound and a fluorescein. It is readily available in most countries but no longer sold in the United States because of its mercury content.

Mercurochrome is the trade name of merbromin. The name is also commonly used for over-the-counter antiseptic solutions consisting of merbromin (typically at 2% concentration) dissolved in either ethyl alcohol (tincture) or water (aqueous).

Its antiseptic qualities were discovered by Johns Hopkins Hospital Dr. Hugh H. Young in 1919. The chemical soon became popular among parents and doctors for everyday antiseptic uses and it was very commonly used for minor injuries in the schoolyard.

FDA statement: The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed it from the "generally recognized as safe" and into the "untested" classification to effectively halt its distribution in the United States in 1998 over fears of potential mercury poisoning. It is readily available in most other countries.

Within the United States, products such as Humco Mercuroclear ply on the brand recognition history of Mercurochrome but substitute other ingredients with similar properties (Mercuroclear: "Aqueous solution of benzalkonium chloride and lidocaine hydrochloride").

Mercurochrome - Merbromin

Merbromin's best-known use is as a topical antiseptic. When applied on a wound, the dark red color stains the skin -- making the detection of any erythema or inflammation, indicative of infection, more difficult. In the United States, its use has been superseded by other agents (e.g., povidone iodine, benzalkonium chloride, chloroxylenol). It is still an important antiseptic, particularly in poorer countries, due to its "unbelievably low cost". Merbromin is also used as a biological dye to mark tissue margins and as a metal dye in industrial dye penetrant inspection to detect metal fractures.

Mercurochrome Testimonials

Carolyn Tytler
"When I was young, I loved mercurochrome. Before it came upon the scene, my mother would splash alcohol or dab iodine on cuts, scrapes, minor burns or insect bites, and when those antiseptics hit an open wound, they stung!

Mercurochrome, on the other hand, was painless. True, it left an ugly orange-red stain on the wound and on the surrounding skin, but to a child, that wasn't really a serious consideration. If you were already suffering from one painful injury, the last thing you wanted was a stinging remedy. "

Product to prevent minor burns & scrapes

pass the FDA statement.

Hugh Hampton Young, MD

Its antiseptic qualities were discovered by Johns Hopkins Hospital Dr. Hugh H. Young in 1919

Hugh Hampton Young, MD (18 September 1870-23 August 1945) was an American surgeon, Urologist, and Medical Researcher.

Born in San Antonio, Texas on September 18, 1870, he graduated from the University of Virginia in 1891 after acquiring BA, MA, and MD degrees in just four years.This was the first, and probably last, time such a feat had been accomplished. As of 1895 he began teaching at Johns Hopkins Institute and by 1897 He was the head of their Urology Department, at an age of just 27. He would remain there for most of his life, until 1940.

Dr. Hugh H. Young MD: Wikipedia
Dr. Hugh H. Young MD: John Hopkins Institute Chairman from 1897 to 1941

Info about Mercury

Form of mercury

Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and exists in a large number of forms. In pure form, it is known alternatively as "elemental" or "metallic" mercury. Mercury is rarely found in nature as the pure, liquid metal, but rather within compounds and inorganic salts. It is a shiny, silver-white metal that is liquid at room temperature, but is rarely found in this form in nature. If not sealed off, mercury slowly evaporates into the air, forming a vapor. The quantity of vapor formed increases as temperatures rise. Elemental mercury is traditionally used in thermometers and some electrical switches.

Inorganic mercury compounds or mercury salts, more commonly found in nature, include mercuric sulphide (HgS), mercuric oxide (HgO) and mercuric chloride (HgCl2). Most of these are white powders or crystals, except for mercuric sulphide which is red and turns black after exposure to light.

Organic mercury is formed when mercury combines with carbon and other elements. Examples of organic mercury compounds are dimethylmercury, phenylmercuric acetate and methylmercuric chloride. The form most commonly found in the environment is methylmercury.

How Mercury exist: Elemental mercury in the atmosphere can undergo transformation into inorganic mercury forms, providing a significant pathway for deposition of emitted elemental mercury.

Some micro-organisms can produce organic mercury, particularly methylmercury, from other mercury forms. Methylmercury can accumulate in living organisms and reach high levels in fish and marine mammals via a process called biomagnification (i.e. concentrations increase in the food chain).

Being an element, mercury cannot be broken down or degraded into harmless substances. Mercury may change between different states and species in its cycle, but its simplest form is elemental mercury, which itself is harmful to humans and the environment. Once mercury has been liberated from either ores or from fossil fuel and mineral deposits hidden in the earth's crust and released into the biosphere, it can be highly mobile, cycling between the earth's surface and the atmosphere. The earth's surface soils, water bodies and bottom sediments are thought to be the primary biospheric sinks for mercury.

The releases of mercury to the biosphere can be grouped in four categories:[1]

Natural sources - releases due to natural mobilization of naturally occurring mercury from the Earth's crust, such as volcanic activity and weathering of rocks
Current anthropogenic (associated with human activity) releases from the mobilization of mercury impurities in raw materials such as fossil fuels - particularly coal, and to a lesser extent gas and oil and other extracted, treated and recycled minerals
Current anthropogenic releases resulting from mercury used intentionally in products and processes, due to releases during manufacturing, leaks, disposal or incineration of spent products or other releases
Re-mobilization of historic anthropogenic mercury releases previously deposited in soils, sediments, water bodies, landfills and waste/tailings piles.

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References

Mercurochrome on Wiki: Merbromin (marketed as Mercurochrome, Merbromine, Sodium mercurescein, Asceptichrome, Supercrome, Brocasept and Cinfacromin)
FDA statement: Therefore, FDA is requesting data and information on any mercury ... Mercurochrome is currently marketed for treating bacterial diseases of ornamental fish. ...