Religious and Cultural Uses

For some cultures in the US, mercury use is a tradition in their cultural and religious practices. Certain Afro-Carribean and Latin American traditions, including Santeria, Palo, and Espiritismo use mercury in their practices.

Some of these practices are:

• Sprinkling elemental mercury on the floor of a home or an automobile
• Burning elemental mercury in a candle
• Mixing mercury with perfume
• Carrying elemental mercury on the person in an amulet in a pocket or as a necklace
• Ingested as a cure for gastroenteritis

Most of these practices are done to bring luck in love, money, or health and to ward off evil.

For more information on the use of mercury for cultural and religious purposes go to NACCHO's Cultural Uses of Mercury [exit DNR] and Mercury Exposure from Cultural and Religious Practices [exit DNR].