Mercury is found in the environment as elemental mercury, inorganic mercury or organic mercury (ethyl-, methyl-, alkyl-, or phenylmercury). In our environment it is present in thermometers, thermostats, dental amalgams, paint, cosmetic products, laxatives, diuretics and antiseptics. Organic mercury is the most toxic and most frequent form of mercury exposure, found in fish, poultry, pesticides ...

Mercury is a potent toxicant of concern to both the general public and occupationally exposed workers (e.g., dentists). Recent studies suggest that several genes mediating the toxicokinetics of mercury are polymorphic in humans and may influence inter-individual variability in mercury accumulation. This work hypothesizes that polymorphisms in key glutathione synthesizing enzyme, glutathione S-t...

normal 0 false false false en-us x-none ar-sa according to the world health organization (who), factors such as growing electricity demand, ever-advancing technologies and changes in social behaviour have led to steadily increasing exposure to man-made electromagnetic fields.   dental amalgam fillings are among the major sources of exposure to elemental mercury vapour in the general population....

Changes in urinary porphyrin excretion patterns (porphyrin profiles) have been described in response to a variety of drugs and chemicals. The present studies were conducted to define the specific changes in the urinary porphyrin profile associated with prolonged exposure to mercury and mercury compounds. In rats, exposure for a prolonged period to mercury as methyl mercury hydroxide was associa...

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal, which can exist in several forms. Metallic mercury is a shiny, silver-white, odorless liquid, which forms a colorless, odorless gas if heated. Mercury combines with other elements such as chlorine, sulfur, or oxygen to form inorganic mercury compounds or salts, which are usually white solids. Mercury also combines with carbon to make organic mercury compo...

The effect of selenite administered at various time intervals after mercury treatment on the toxicity and renal content of mercuric mercury in mice was studied. A marked protective effect of selenite on growth depression and renal lesions caused by mercuric chloride was observed in mice receiving mercury and selenite simultaneously. However, growth depression was not protected by post administr...

A chemical factory, using a production technology of acetaldehyde with mercury catalysis, was located southeast of Qingzhen City in Guizhou Province, China. Previous research showed heavy mercury pollution through an extensive downstream area. A current investigation of the mercury distribution in ambient air, soils, and plants suggests that mobile mercury species in soils created elevated merc...

To clarify the maternal-fetal transfer of mercury across the placenta, inorganic and organic mercury were determined in 41 paired samples of maternal blood, placenta, umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord obtained from pregnant women who had no particular exposure to mercury compounds in their history. Both inorganic and organic mercury were detected in all the samples but the ratio of organi...

Thimerosal, which releases the ethyl mercury radical as the active species, has been used as a preservative in many currently marketed vaccines throughout the world. Because of concerns that its toxicity could be similar to that of methyl mercury, it is no longer incorporated in many vaccines in the United States. There are reasons to believe, however, that the disposition and toxicity of ethyl...

Background: Aquatic ecosystems are frequently subjected to contamination by toxic heavy metals and pesticides, yet very little is known about the influence of pesticides on bioaccumulation of heavy metals in aquatic organisms. Mercury is a toxic metal with no known biological benefit to organisms. Bioavailability of mercury in aquatic environments depends on biological and non-biological parame...