Jankovic, J. J. T. E., & Tolosa. (2007). Parkinson's disease and movement disorders. E. Tolosa (Ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Mercury toxicity is a known cause of symptoms that mimic Parkinson's disease, especially tremor. One of the chief targets of the toxin is the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH). The enzyme is irreversibly inhibited by several mercury compounds, the lipoic acid component of the multienzyme complex binds mercury compounds tightly and thus inhibits PDH. However, the cause of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease is likely to be due to the fact that mercury potently causes the release of dopamine, thereby lowering dopamine levels. Mercury is found in a wide variety of sources: dietary fish intake, ethnic over-the-counter medications, occupational exposures to mercury vapour, possession of dental amalgam fillings, gold production, skin ointment, some soaps.