Mutagenicity mercury

Mercury is a mutagen, teratogen, and carcinogen, and causes embryocidal, cytochemical, and histopathological effects... 

Genetic and Neonatal Toxicity. The ability of heavy metals readily to cross the placenta and disrupt nucleic acids coupled with the high sensitivity of the fetus and neonate increases the potential dangers of congenital and neonatal toxicity. In mammalian leukocyte cultures, chromosomal aberrations have been reported with lead (112), arsenic (113), mercury (114), and methylmercury (115). Charbonneau, et al. (116) reported a lack of mutagenic effect for methylmercury. 

The carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of mercury have been claimed however, further verification is needed. Although mercury is fetotoxic, the teratolo-gical aspect also needs further study. The rat inhalation TClo is lmgm over 24h a day for 5 weeks, 8mgm over 6.5h a day for 41 weeks, and 17mgm over 2h a day for 31 days. 

Two organic mercury compounds (methylmercury chloride at 0.08-0.4 g Hg/mL and methoxyethyl mercury chloride at 0.04-0.23 g Hg/mL) induced weak but dose-related mutagenic responses in Chinese hamster V-79 cells near the cytotoxic threshold (Fiskesjo 1979). Methylmercury was neither mutagenic nor caused recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but it did produce a slight increase in the frequency of chromosomal nondisjunction (Nakai and Machida 1973). Both methylmercury and phenylmercuric acetate induced primary DNA damage in the B. subtilis rec-assay (Kanematsu et al. 

Fiskesjo G. 1979. Two organic mercury compounds tested for mutagenicity in mammalian cells by use of the cell line V 79-4. Hereditas 90 103-110. 

Verschaeve L, Tassignon J-P, Lefevre M, et al. 1979. Cytogenic investigation on leukocytes of workers exposed to metallic mercury. Environ Mutagen 1 259-268. 

Zasukhina GD, Vasilyeva IM, Sdirkova NI, et al. 1983. Mutagenic effect of thallium and mercury salts on rodent cells with different repair activities. Mutat Res 124 163-173. 

May, K., Stoeppler, M., and Reisinger, K., Studies in the Ratio Total Mercury/Methylmercury in the Aquatic Food Chain, in Carcinogenic and Mutagenic Metal Compounds 2, Merian, E., Frei, R.W., Hardi, W., and Schlatter, C., (Eds.), Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, New York, 1987, pp. 109-115. 

Excess of these preparations in the environment may eventually cause severe impact on health of the human population due to neurotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, and otho undesirable properties of chlororganic compounds. It was common practice to set standards and limits for imported banned chemicals (DDT, mercury containing pesticides) particularly in food. 

Ariza me and Williams MV (1996) Mutagenesis of AS52 cells by low concentrations of lead (II) and mercury (II). Environ Mol Mutagen 27 30-33. 

ScHURZ E, Sabater-Vilar M and Fink-Gremmels J (2000) Mutagenicity of mercury chloride and... 

Selypes a, Nagymajtenyi L and Berencsi G (1984) Study of the mutagenic and teratogenic effect of aerogenic mercury exposition in mouse. Collect Med Leg Toxicol Med 125 65-69. 

HG-OES hydride generation optical emission spectrometry (see HG-AES) HGPRT-test hypoxanthine-guanine-phos-pho-ribosyl-transferase test, a mutagenicity test with mammalian cells HHPN hydraulic high pressure nebulizer HIV human immunodeficiency virus HMDE hanging mercury drop electrode... 

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