revised final - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ...

MERCURY 267
2. HEALTH EFFECTS
1982). In some cases, gastrointestinal lesions have been observed after inhalation exposure to high
concentrations of metallic mercury vapors. The autopsy of a young child who inhaled metallic mercury vapor
revealed necrosis in the mucosa of the stomach and duodenum (Campbell 1948). Irritation of the oral mucosa
has also been observed at the site of contact with dental amalgams that contain mercury (Veien 1990).
However, this type of response appears to be a combination of stomatitis and a contact dermatitis.
Symptoms of abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and nausea have been reported following acute- and/or
intermediate-duration inhalation, oral, and dermal exposures of persons to mercury (Afonso and deAlvarez
1960; Bluhm et al. 1992a; Campbell 1948; Cinca et al. 1979; Haddad and Sternberg 1963; Hallee 1969; Jalili
and Abbasi 1961; Kang-Yum and Oransky 1992; Kanluen and Gottlieb 1991; Lilis et al. 1985; Milne et al.
1970; Sexton et al. 1976; Snodgrass et al. 1981; Soni et al. 1992; Taueg et al. 1992; Teng and Brennan 1959;
Tennant et al. 1961; Warkany and Hubbard 1953).
Rabbits displayed mild pathological changes to marked cellular degeneration and some necrosis in the colon
tissue after inhaling 28.8 mg/m 3 mercury for 4–30 hours (Ashe et al. 1953). Inflammation and necrosis of the
glandular stomach were observed in mice given 59 mg Hg/kg as mercuric chloride by gavage 5 days a week
for 2 weeks (NTP 1993). An increased incidence of forestomach hyperplasia was observed in male rats
exposed to 1.9 mg Hg/kg/day as mercuric chloride for 2 years (NTP 1993). Necrosis and ulceration of the
cecum have been observed in rats after chronic-duration exposure to 4.2 mg Hg/kg/day as phenylmercuric
acetate in the drinking water (Fitzhugh et al. 1950; Solecki et al. 1991). Ulceration of the glandular stomach
was observed in mice after 2 years of exposure to methylmercuric chloride (0.86 mg Hg/kg/day) in the diet.
Acute-duration inhalation exposure or chronic-duration oral exposure to inorganic and organic mercury may,
therefore, result in various gastrointestinal symptoms in humans, with possible damage to intestinal tissues.
Hematological Effects. Leukocytosis associated with a metal fume fever-like syndrome has been observed
in persons exposed to high concentrations of metallic mercury vapor (Campbell 1948; Fagala and Wigg
1992; Haddad and Sternberg 1963; Hallee 1969; Jaffe et al. 1983; Lilis et al. 1985; Matthes et al. 1958;
Rowens et al. 1991). It is probable that this effect is specific to inhalation exposure to mercury. Because
of the high concentrations of mercury that have been involved in the studies reviewed, it is unlikely that
persons exposed to mercury vapors at hazardous waste sites would be exposed to sufficiently high
concentrations of mercury to result in leukocytosis. Other hematological effects associated with exposure
to mercury include decreased hemoglobin and hematocrit in persons with dental amalgams (Siblerud 1990)