Whole blood mercury

AMA Archives of Industrial Health 13 245-249, 1956 Gowdy JM, Demers FX Whole blood mercury levels in mental hospital patients. Am J Psychiatry 135 115-117, 1978... 

Sulfides, thiols, and proteinacious organic matter, particularly plasma and whole blood, seriously depress and may even aboHsh the germicidal action of mercury compounds (qv). As of this writing approved uses for mercurials are limited to contact lens cleaning fluids, spoilage prevention of stored... 

The biological half-life in humans for methyl mercury is about 70 days because elimination is slow, irregular, and individualized, there is a considerable risk of an accumulation of mercury to toxic levels. A precise relationship between atmospheric levels of alkyl mercury and concentrations of mercury in blood or urine has not been shown. Clinical observations indicate that concentrations of 50-100pg mercury/lOOml of whole blood may be associated with symptoms of intoxication concentrations around 10-20pg mercury/ 100 ml are not associated with symptoms. In a study of 20 workers engaged in the manufacture of organic mercurials and exposed for 6 years to mercury concentrations in air between 0.01 and O.lmg/m, there was no evidence of physical impairment or clinical laboratory abnormalities. Low levels of methyl mercury in the blood do not seem to affect the results of behavioral performance tests. ... 

Bulska, E., Emteborg, H., Baxter, D.C., Freeh, W., Elligsen, D. and Thomassen, Y. (1992) Speciation of mercury in human whole blood by capillary gas chromatography with a microwave-induced plasma emission detector system following complexometric extraction and butylation. Analyst, 117, 657-663. 

Monomethylmercury (MMM) is the most toxico-logically prominent of organic mercury compounds due to its environmental ubiquity and high potential for bioconcentration. Although DMM is less frequently encountered, it exhibits a far more toxic profile. Based on the lethality of only a few drops of the substance, DMM has been classified as a supertoxic chemical. Absorption of 100 pi of the colorless liquid is equivalent to a severely toxic dose of 100-200 mg of mercury per 100 ml of whole blood. Its synthesis, transportation, and use should be minimized and exercised with only extreme care. 

The earliest clinical deficits include numbness and tingling sensation of the lips, hands and feet, joint pain, narrowing of vision, hearing difficulties, a widely based gait, and emotional disturbances. These symptoms arise from whole-blood concentrations of mercury that exceed 200 pg Hg 1 of whole blood (normal concentration, 1-8 pg Hgl ). The progression of symptoms includes incoordination, difficulty in pronouncing words, deafness, emotional disturbances, and ultimately, death. 

There are reliable and accurate ways to measure mercury levels in the body. These tests all involve taking blood, urine, or hair samples, and must be performed in a doctor s office or in a health clinic. Nursing women may have their breast milk tested for mercury levels, if any of the other samples tested are found to contain significant amounts of mercury. Most of these tests, however, do not determine the form of mercury to which you were exposed. Mercury levels found in blood, urine, breast milk, or hair may be used to determine if adverse health effects are likely to occur (see Section 2.5). Mercury in urine is used to test for exposure to metallic mercury vapor and to inorganic forms of mercury. Measurement of mercury in whole blood or scalp hair is used to monitor exposure to methylmercury. Urine is not useful for determining whether exposure has occurred to methylmercury. Levels found in blood, urine, and hair may be used together to predict possible health effects that may be caused by the different forms of mercury. 

In volunteers who inhaled a tracer dose of metallic mercury vapor for 20 minutes, approximately 2% of the absorbed dose was deposited per liter of whole blood after the initial distribution was complete (Cherian et al. 1978). Uptake into the red blood cells was complete after 2 hours, but plasma uptake was not complete until after 24 hours. Mercury concentration in red blood cells was twice that measured in the plasma. This ratio persisted for at least 6 days after exposure. However, the ratios of 1-2 have been reported for metallic mercury vapor (Miettinen 1973). 

Human whole blood Treatment of sample with dilute hydrochloric acid addition of a pH buffer and a complexing agent (diethyldithiocarbamate) extraction of mercury species into toluene ETAAS 2 g/dm3 >94% Emteborg et al. 1992... 

Buneaux F, Buisine A, Bourdon S, et al. 1992. Continuous-flow quantification of total mercury in whole blood, plasma, erythrocytes and urine by inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectroscopy. J Anal Toxicol 16(2) 99-101. 

Emteborg H, Bulska E, Freeh W, et al. 1992. Determination of total mercury in human whole blood by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry following extraction. J Anal Atomic Spectrom 7(2) 405-408. 

Kalamegham R, Ash KO. 1992. A simple ICP-MS procedure for the determination of total mercury in whole blood and urine. J Clin Lab Anal 6(4) 190-193. 

Nixon DE, Moyer TP. Routine clinical determination of lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and thaUium in urine and whole blood by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry Spectrochim Acta 1996 51B ... 

Dennis, C.A., and F. Fehr. 1975. Mercury levels in whole blood of Saskatchewan residents. Sci. Total Environ. 3(3) 267-274. 

Kingman, A., T. Albertini, and L.J. Brown. 1998. Mercury concentrations in urine and whole blood associated with amalgam exposure in a U.S. military population. J. Dent. Res. 77 (3) 461-471. 

Moeimoto K, Iijima S and Koizumi A (1982) Selenite prevents the induction of sister-chromatid exchanges by methyl mercury and mercuric chloride in human whole-blood cultures. Mutat Res 102 183-192. 

Nixon DE, Burrit ME and Moyer TP (1999) The determination of mercury in whole blood and urine by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Spectrochim Acta Part B 54 1141-1153. Nordenhall K, Dock L and Vahter M (1998) Cross-fostering study of methyl mercury retention, demethylation and excretion in the neonatal hamster. Pharmacol Toxicol 82 132-136. Novozamsky 1, Van der Lee HJ and Houba VJG (1995) Sample digestion proceduresfor trace element determination. Mikrochim Acta 119 183 — 189. NRC National Research Council, Committee ON Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury... 

Schaller KH, Weltle D and Angerer J (2000) Analytical validity of the determination of mercury in whole blood and urine - Results of the German external assurance programme for toxicological analysis in biological materials. Fresenius J Anal Chem 366 449-452. 

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