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

MERCURY 430
5. POTENTIAL FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE
conducted another study to assess the migration of several toxic metals from crayons, watercolor paints, and
water-based paints. Migration of mercury from the art materials was determined by scraping flakes of the
products into dichloromethane for 2 hours at 54E C. The degreased material was then placed in an aqueous
HCl solution, shaken, and centrifuged. The supernatant was then filtered through a 0.45 µ membrane filter
and was analyzed. These authors reported that the migration of mercury from these art supplies was
0.24–5.98 ppm for red, 0.26–3.63 ppm for blue, 0.20–4.79 ppm for yellow, 0.22–5.68 ppm for green, and
0.17–3.63 ppm for white paint. Migration of mercury from the product occurred in 57% of the samples
tested. The migration limit set by European Standard EN71-3 for mercury is 60 ppm. This value was not
exceeded in any of the art supplies tested. The authors, however, believe that children might be exposed
not only to mercury, but to several other metals that also co-migrated from the paints.
Cigarettes. In a study conducted in West Germany, Pesch et al. (1992) analyzed mercury concentrations
in 50 brands of cigarettes manufactured in 2 Western and 6 Eastern European countries. These authors
reported that in 1987, the average mercury concentration detected in cigarettes was 0.098 µg/g (ppm) (dry
weight) (range, 0.06 to 0.14 ppm dry weight). In 1991, the mean mercury concentrations for cigarettes
were 0.034 µg/g (ppm) dry weight (range, 0.007–0.092 ppm dry weight) for Eastern Europe and 0.015 µg/g
(ppm) dry weight (range, 0.006–0.037 ppm dry weight) for Western European countries. The authors
attributed the decline in mercury content of cigarettes to environmental protection measures instituted in the
intervening years (Pesch et al. 1992).
Religious and Ethnic Rituals, Ceremonies, and Practices. While some of medicinal and
pharmaceutical uses of mercury compounds have been replaced in recent years, individuals in some ethnic
or religious groups may still use mercury in various religious or ethnic rituals, practices, and ceremonies
that can expose them to elevated mercury concentrations in room air. Metallic mercury has been used in
Latin American and Caribbean communities as part of certain religious practices (e.g., Voodoo, Santeria,
and Espiritismo), predominantly in domestic settings (Wendroff 1990). This use of mercury can
contaminate a dwelling or automobile if the mercury is not completely removed from flooring, carpeting,
and woodwork in an appropriate manner. Metallic mercury (sometimes under the name azogue) currently is
sold in shops called botanicas which stock medicinal plants, traditional medicines, incense, candles, and
perfumes. Botanicas typically dispense mercury in gelatin capsules or sometimes in small glass vials.
Some religious practices involve sprinkling metallic mercury on the floor of the dwelling or of a car, mixing
metallic mercury with soap and water to wash the floor, or placing it in an open container to rid the house of
evil spirits. Other practices involve carrying a small amount of mercury in a vial on the person, or mixing