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

MERCURY 341
2. HEALTH EFFECTS
systemic effects or death from acute poisonings. The animal data for inhalation exposure to
methylmercury is equally scarce and nonexistent for dermal exposures.
2.11.2 Identification of Data Needs
Acute-Duration Exposure. The human toxicity information for acute duration exposures to
mercury is limited to qualitative data and case histories following oral, inhalation, and dermal routes of
exposure. Several case reports described death due to respiratory impairment from inhaled metallic
mercury (Campbell 1948; Kanluen and Gottlieb 1991; Soni et al. 1992; Taueg et al. 1992). Respiratory,
cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematological, and renal effects have been observed after acute-duration
inhalation exposure to metallic mercury vapors (Bluhm et al. 1992a, 1992b; Campbell 1948; Garnier et al.
1981; Haddad and Sternberg 1963; Hallee 1969; Jaffe et al. 1983; Kanluen and Gottlieb 1991; Karpathios
et al. 1991; Lilis et al. 1985; McFarland and Reigel 1978; Milne et al. 1970; Snodgrass et al. 1981; Soni et
al. 1992; Taueg et al. 1992). Acute exposure to ingested inorganic mercury salts has also resulted in
gastrointestinal and renal symptoms (Afonso and deAlvarez 1960; Kang-Yum and Oransky 1992).
Tremors, irritability, and decreased motor function and reflexes are common neurological symptoms
following high-level acute duration exposures to metallic mercury vapors (Adams et al. 1983; Bluhm et al.
1992a; Hallee 1969; Jaffe et al. 1983; McFarland and Reigel 1978; Snodgrass et al. 1981). Acute exposure
to ingested methylmercury has resulted in both neurological and developmental toxicity (Al-Mufti et al.
1976; Amin-Zaki et al. 1974; Bakir et al. 1973; Cox et al. 1989; Engleson and Herner 1952; Harada 1978;
Marsh et al. 1980, 1981, 1987; Snyder and Seelinger 1976). Information on short term dermal exposures
in humans to inorganic mercury are from case studies, and provide some information on renal,
neurological, immunological, and dermatological effects (Bagley et al. 1987; Bourgeois et al. 1986;
DeBont et al. 1986; Faria and Freitas 1992; Kawahara et al. 1993; Millar 1916; Pambor and Timmel 1989).
Dermal effects from acute duration dermal exposures to organic mercury compounds have also been
reported to a limited extent (Morris 1960). In a highly publicized poisoning, a laboratory researcher was
thought to have received a single dermal exposure to the organomercurial, dimethylmercury (estimated at
between 0.1 and 0.5 mL at a density of 3 g/mL), that apparently penetrated the researcher’s latex safety
gloves and resulted in a severe neurotoxicty 5 months later that subsequently ending with death (Blayney
et al. 1997; Nierenberg et al. 1998; Toribara et al. 1997). Additional studies on dermal absorption of
organic mercury, especially dimethylmercury, are needed to further evaluate the risk to human health.