There have also been incidents of birds laying eggs with brittle shells and of infertility that have been put down to the use of insecticides containing mercury compounds made from combining the toxic metal with organic substances.
過去被視為造成鳥類蛋殼易碎、無法孕育下一代的殺蟲劑「有機汞」，也是汞與有機物的合成品。