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Cadernos de Saude Publica Feb 2019Mercury is a metal found in the environment from natural and anthropogenic sources. It is highly toxic to ecosystems and living beings. Most human exposures come from...
Mercury is a metal found in the environment from natural and anthropogenic sources. It is highly toxic to ecosystems and living beings. Most human exposures come from ingestion of contaminated seafood, outgassing from dental amalgam or occupational exposure (e.g. gold mining), among other cases. Large populations are exposed to mercury, making it a very important issue from the public health perspective. Adverse health effects are commonly seen in the nervous system, but every organ is a potential target, such as the bone marrow. The main goal of this study was to assess the available evidence on human exposure to mercury and its hematological effects. A search strategy was constructed, including key terms (MeSH, text word and equivalents) for querying 2 repositories of master dissertation and PhD thesis (Fiocruz/ARCA and University of São Paulo) and 4 different electronic databases: BVS/LILACS, MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus and TOXLINE/NIH, for articles published from 1950 to February 2018. There was no language restriction and a tool (EPHPP) was used to assess the quality of included studies. According to pre-established criteria, 80 studies were retrieved, all of them observational (48 case reports, 24 cross-sectional, 6 case series and 2 cohorts), comprising 9,284 people. Despite the fact that most exposed ones (6,012) had normal blood cell count and mercury hematological effects did not seem very usual (1,914 cases: 14 severe and 29 deaths), three studies reported association (β) for anemia, lymphopenia, neutrophilia and basophilia. We concluded that the gathered information pointed to mercury hematotoxic effects, some of them may be serious and even fatal.
Topics: Brazil; Cell Count; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Hematologic Diseases; Hematologic Tests; Humans; Mercury; Mercury Compounds; Mercury Poisoning; Occupational Exposure
PubMed: 30758455
DOI: 10.1590/0102-311X00091618 -
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association... Oct 2001
Topics: Humans; Mercury Poisoning; Methylmercury Compounds
PubMed: 11706907
DOI: No ID Found -
Anatolian Journal of Cardiology Jan 2016
Topics: Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Female; Humans; Mercury Poisoning
PubMed: 26854676
DOI: No ID Found -
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association... Jan 2007Lead and mercury are naturally occurring elements in the earth's crust and are common environmental contaminants. Because people concerned about possible exposures to... (Review)
Review
Lead and mercury are naturally occurring elements in the earth's crust and are common environmental contaminants. Because people concerned about possible exposures to these elements often seek advice from their physicians, clinicians need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of lead and mercury poisoning, how to investigate a possible exposure and when intervention is necessary. We describe 3 cases of patients who presented to an occupational medicine specialist with concerns of heavy metal toxicity. We use these cases to illustrate some of the issues surrounding the investigation of possible lead and mercury exposures. We review the common sources of exposure, the signs and symptoms of lead and mercury poisoning and the appropriate use of chelation therapy. There is a need for a clear and consistent guide to help clinicians interpret laboratory investigations. We offer such a guide, with information about population norms, lead and mercury levels that suggest exposure beyond that seen in the general population and levels that warrant referral for advice about clinical management.
Topics: Adult; Female; Heavy Metal Poisoning, Nervous System; Humans; Lead; Lead Poisoning; Male; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Middle Aged; Reference Values
PubMed: 17200393
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.060790 -
British Journal of Industrial Medicine Jul 1964The distribution, metabolism, and excretion of phenyl mercury acetate (P.M.A.) and of methyl mercury dicyanidiamide (M.M.D.) has been studied in the rat during the...
The distribution, metabolism, and excretion of phenyl mercury acetate (P.M.A.) and of methyl mercury dicyanidiamide (M.M.D.) has been studied in the rat during the repeated subcutaneous administration of small doses over a period of six weeks, and for several weeks after a single dose. The results indicate that P.M.A. is absorbed unchanged into the circulation from which it is mainly removed by the liver and kidneys where it is metabolized and excreted in the faeces and urine mostly as inorganic mercury. During repeated dosage the rats reached a steady state by the end of the second week when excretion approximately balanced intake. No measurable amount of mercury was found in the central nervous system. After repeated dosage with M.M.D. there is no clear indication of a steady state being reached after six weeks. There is an accumulation of organic mercury in all tissues, particularly in the red cells, and a progressive increase in the brain concentration. M.M.D. is more slowly released from the tissues than P.M.A. and the breakdown to inorganic mercury is low. The control of human exposure to alkyl and aryl mercury salts is considered in the light of these experimental observations. The recommendation that the concentration of alkyl mercury salts in the atmosphere should not exceed 0·01 mg./m. seems justifiable, but there appears to be no reason to establish the figure for aryl mercury salts below the 0·1 mg./m. recommended for inorganic mercury vapour.
Topics: Adipose Tissue; Blood Chemical Analysis; Brain; Erythrocytes; Feces; Intestines; Kidney; Liver; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Metabolism; Muscles; Myocardium; Rats; Research; Salts; Skin; Spinal Cord; Spleen; Toxicology; Urine
PubMed: 14180477
DOI: 10.1136/oem.21.3.197 -
The Journal of Toxicological Sciences 2021Methylmercury (MeHg), the causal substrate in Minamata disease, can lead to severe and chronic neurological disorders. The main symptom of Minamata disease is sensory...
Methylmercury (MeHg), the causal substrate in Minamata disease, can lead to severe and chronic neurological disorders. The main symptom of Minamata disease is sensory impairment in the four extremities; however, the sensitivity of individual sensory modalities to MeHg has not been investigated extensively. In the present study, we performed stimulus-response behavioral experiments in MeHg-exposed rats to compare the sensitivities to pain, heat, cold, and mechanical sensations. MeHg (6.7 mg/kg/day) was orally administered to 9-week-old Wistar rats for 5 days and discontinued for 2 days, then administered daily for another 5 days. The four behavioral experiments were performed daily on each rat from the beginning of MeHg treatment for 68 days. The pain sensation decreased significantly from day 11 onwards, but recovered to control levels on day 48. Other sensory modalities were not affected by MeHg exposure. These findings suggest that the pain sensation is the sensory modality most susceptive to MeHg toxicity and that this sensitivity is reversible following discontinuation of the exposure.
Topics: Animals; Hypesthesia; Male; Mercury Poisoning, Nervous System; Methylmercury Compounds; Pain; Rats, Wistar; Rats
PubMed: 34078837
DOI: 10.2131/jts.46.303 -
The Western Journal of Medicine Apr 1992
Topics: Humans; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Occupational Diseases
PubMed: 1574888
DOI: No ID Found -
Proceedings of the Royal Society of... Apr 1962
Topics: Humans; Lens Diseases; Lens, Crystalline; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning
PubMed: 13874938
DOI: No ID Found -
Proceedings of the Royal Society of... Jul 1956
Topics: Eyelid Diseases; Humans; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Poisoning
PubMed: 13350293
DOI: No ID Found -
The British Journal of Ophthalmology Apr 1953
Topics: Disease; Humans; Lens, Crystalline; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning
PubMed: 13032384
DOI: 10.1136/bjo.37.4.234