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

MERCURY
2. HEALTH EFFECTS
Two animal studies assessed the gastrointestinal effects from mercury vapor exposure. In rabbits, effects
ranging from mild pathological changes to marked cellular degeneration and some necrosis of the colon were
observed following exposure to 28.8 mg/m 3 mercury vapor for 4–30 hours (Ashe et al. 1953). A single
exposure to 28.8 mg/m 3 for 1–2 hours or multiple exposures of 6 mg/m 3 for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week for
up to 11 weeks resulted in either no changes or mild pathological changes. The usefulness of these results is
limited because the study did not specify the pathological changes nor distinguish between primary and
secondary effects (i.e., pathological changes secondary to induced shock).
Organic Mercury. Gastrointestinal effects were reported in several case studies of humans exposed to
organomercurial compounds. A 39-year-old farmer who had dressed his seeds for several seasons with
phenylmercuric acetate exhibited a swollen mouth, reddened and tender gums, carious teeth, a thin blue line
at the gums, and an infected and swollen posterior pharyngeal wall (Brown 1954). Similarly, two women
who died following 3–5 months of occupational exposure to diethylmercury vapors exhibited inflammation
of the mouth and gums, excessive salivation, and unspecified gastrointestinal disorders (Hill 1943). Marked
salivation was observed in one man and nausea was observed in another occupationally exposed to alkylmercury
compounds used for dressing seeds (Hook et al. 1954). Gastrointestinal effects were not, however,
observed in four men after inhalation of dust containing methylmercury for several months (Hunter et al.
1940).
No studies were located regarding gastrointestinal effects in animals after inhalation exposure to organic
mercury.
Hematological Effects
Metallic Mercury. Initial exposure to high concentrations of elemental mercury vapors produces a
syndrome similar to "metal fume fever," which is characterized by fatigue, fever, chills, and elevated
leukocyte count. Evidence of moderate-to-high leukocytosis with neutrophilia was reported following acute
inhalation exposure to metallic mercury vapor (Campbell 1948; Haddad and Sternberg 1963; Hallee 1969;
Jaffe et al. 1983; Lilis et al. 1985; Matthes et al. 1958; Rowens et al. 1991).
Similarly, an elevated white cell count was observed in a 12-year-old girl with a 6-month exposure to
mercury vapors from a spill of metallic mercury in her home (Fagala and Wigg 1992). Thrombocytopenia
and frequent nosebleeds were reported in two of four family members exposed to mercury vapors in their
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