International Archives of
Int Arch Occup Environ Hlth 40, 249-253 (1977)
Oeeulmtional aml Emiinnnlltlal Health ©
Springer-Verlag 1977
Inorganic and Organic Mercury in Blood, Urine and Hair in Low Level Mercury Vapour Exposure * Nobuo Ishiharal, Kenji Urushiyama 2 and Tsuguyoshi Suzuki 3 ' Departments of Hygiene and 3 Public Health, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Seiryocho 2-1, Sendai 980, Japan 2 Occupational Service Center, Tohuku Branch, Kamisugi, Sendai 980, Japan
Summary Fourteen Japanese femalesexposed to elemantal mercury vapour of concentration; 0 001-0 019 mg Hg/m 3 , were examined for inorganic and organic mercury concentrations in'red blood cells, plasma, urine, and hair. Examinations were conducted the times; at 0,4 and 8 months of mercury exposure. No significant change of inorganic and organic mercury in urine was observed for three examinations Both inorganic and organic mercury in plasma, and only organic mercury in red blood cells, increased significantly after commencement of mercury work The hair organic mercury values stayed constant The intake of organic mercury was judged as constant from the constancy of hair mercury values, and the change of organic mercury concentrations in plasma and red blood cells must have been elicited from the intake of elemental mercury The reason why the increase of plasma mercury values did not reflect to urine mercury values was discussed. Key words: Low level exposure of mercury vapour-Inorganic mercury-Organic mercury-Mercury in urine-Mercury in red blood cells-Mercury in plasmaMercury in hair Introduction Organic mercury was detected in red blood cells, plasma, urine, and hair from workers exposed to elemental mercury vapour ( Suzuki et al , 1970 ), and the level of urinary organic mercury increased with the elevation of urinary inorganic mercury level in mercury workers (Suzuki and Shishido, 1974 ; Ishihara et al , 1974) The origin of the increased organic mercury in these workers remains to be unknown Recently it has been pointed out that the workers exposed to low levels of elemental and/or inorganic mercury showed the modified distribution of organic mercury in blood and the increased urinary excretion of organic mercury (Suzuki et al , 1976).
*
Supported by the grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education
250
N Ishihara et al.
We carried out the repeated observation of 14 female workers in a factory manufacturing batteries with elemantal mercury at three different occasions; at the pre-assignment of job, 4 and 8 months after the job-assignment. Methods The selective determination of inorganic and organic mercury was carried out by the method of Magos ( 1971) Blood was venipunctured, heparinized and centrifuged One ml of red blood cells and 2-4 ml of plasma were used for mercury analysis Scalp hair was sampled as tuft by cutting at the base, and the tuft obtained were cut into small pieces, and 10 mg of them was analyzed for mercury Spot urine samples were collected, and 10 ml of them were analyzed for mercury, and urinary creatinine was determined colorimetrically using alkalipicrate The absolute sensitivity of mercury measurement is 0 5 ng for both chemical forms of mercury in our laboratory, and the precision is 10 %.
Subjects Fourteen Japanese female workers in a factory manufacturing mercury batteries, aged from 16 to 27 years, were the subjects in this study They were mainly engagd in the weighing the mixture containing elemental mercury, silver oxide, zinc powder, cellulose powder, water, 3 etc The mercury concentrations in the ambient air were 0 001-0 019 mg Hg/m (the mercury in ambient air was trapped with a solution of acidpermanganate, and the solution was measured for mercury by cold-atomic absorption spectrometry) During the course of this study they had neither complaints nor symptoms suggesting the mercury vapour intoxication Mercury concentrations in blood, urine, and hair of these subjects before the job-assignment were compatible with those of ormal Japanese without any particular exposure to mercurials (Suzuki, 1976).
Results Mercury in Urine In comparison with the values before the job-assignment, no significant increment of urinary inorganic and organic mercury was observed even after 8 months of mercury exposure (Table 1). Mercury in Blood In red blood cells the organic mercury increased significantly at 4 and 8 months after the commencement of mercury work, while the inorganic mercury showed no significant increment (Table 2) In plasma both inorganic and organic mercury showed significant increments after 4 and 8 months in comparison with those values before the commencement of mercury work The red blood cells-to-plasma ratio of inorganic mercury concentrations was 3 29 at the pre-assignment period, 1 36 after 4 months, and 1 91 after 8 months, and these decrements were resulted from the elevation of inorganic mercury levels in plasma, and both of these values after 4 and 8 months were significantly lower than that at the pre-assignment period, but no significant change was observed between the two occasions after the commencement of mercury work. In the case of the organic mercury concentrations the red blood cell-to-plasma ratio was 13 41 at the pre-assignment period, 9 13 after 4 months, and 14 93 after 8 months. Mercury in Hair During the course of this study, the level of organic mercury in hair remained almost constant (Table 3), although only the inorganic mercury level after 8 months increased significantly, perhaps due to the external contamination with mercury vapour.
Inorganic and Organic Mercury in Blood, Urine and Hair in Low Level Mercury Vapour Exposure 251 Table 1 Mercury in urine occasion
Ag Hg / g creatinine inorganic mercury
before after 4 months after 8 months
organic mercury
2 64 (1 59) 2 78 (1 14) 2 66 (1 58)
0 22 (0 29) 0 31 (0 21) 0 29 (0 28)
Figures in the table are means and standard deviations (in parantheses) Each two out of three means of different occasions were compared to by t-statistic; a p< O 05, b p
Int Arch Occup Environ Hlth 40, 249-253 (1977)
Oeeulmtional aml Emiinnnlltlal Health ©
Springer-Verlag 1977
Inorganic and Organic Mercury in Blood, Urine and Hair in Low Level Mercury Vapour Exposure * Nobuo Ishiharal, Kenji Urushiyama 2 and Tsuguyoshi Suzuki 3 ' Departments of Hygiene and 3 Public Health, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Seiryocho 2-1, Sendai 980, Japan 2 Occupational Service Center, Tohuku Branch, Kamisugi, Sendai 980, Japan
Summary Fourteen Japanese femalesexposed to elemantal mercury vapour of concentration; 0 001-0 019 mg Hg/m 3 , were examined for inorganic and organic mercury concentrations in'red blood cells, plasma, urine, and hair. Examinations were conducted the times; at 0,4 and 8 months of mercury exposure. No significant change of inorganic and organic mercury in urine was observed for three examinations Both inorganic and organic mercury in plasma, and only organic mercury in red blood cells, increased significantly after commencement of mercury work The hair organic mercury values stayed constant The intake of organic mercury was judged as constant from the constancy of hair mercury values, and the change of organic mercury concentrations in plasma and red blood cells must have been elicited from the intake of elemental mercury The reason why the increase of plasma mercury values did not reflect to urine mercury values was discussed. Key words: Low level exposure of mercury vapour-Inorganic mercury-Organic mercury-Mercury in urine-Mercury in red blood cells-Mercury in plasmaMercury in hair Introduction Organic mercury was detected in red blood cells, plasma, urine, and hair from workers exposed to elemental mercury vapour ( Suzuki et al , 1970 ), and the level of urinary organic mercury increased with the elevation of urinary inorganic mercury level in mercury workers (Suzuki and Shishido, 1974 ; Ishihara et al , 1974) The origin of the increased organic mercury in these workers remains to be unknown Recently it has been pointed out that the workers exposed to low levels of elemental and/or inorganic mercury showed the modified distribution of organic mercury in blood and the increased urinary excretion of organic mercury (Suzuki et al , 1976).
*
Supported by the grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education
250
N Ishihara et al.
We carried out the repeated observation of 14 female workers in a factory manufacturing batteries with elemantal mercury at three different occasions; at the pre-assignment of job, 4 and 8 months after the job-assignment. Methods The selective determination of inorganic and organic mercury was carried out by the method of Magos ( 1971) Blood was venipunctured, heparinized and centrifuged One ml of red blood cells and 2-4 ml of plasma were used for mercury analysis Scalp hair was sampled as tuft by cutting at the base, and the tuft obtained were cut into small pieces, and 10 mg of them was analyzed for mercury Spot urine samples were collected, and 10 ml of them were analyzed for mercury, and urinary creatinine was determined colorimetrically using alkalipicrate The absolute sensitivity of mercury measurement is 0 5 ng for both chemical forms of mercury in our laboratory, and the precision is 10 %.
Subjects Fourteen Japanese female workers in a factory manufacturing mercury batteries, aged from 16 to 27 years, were the subjects in this study They were mainly engagd in the weighing the mixture containing elemental mercury, silver oxide, zinc powder, cellulose powder, water, 3 etc The mercury concentrations in the ambient air were 0 001-0 019 mg Hg/m (the mercury in ambient air was trapped with a solution of acidpermanganate, and the solution was measured for mercury by cold-atomic absorption spectrometry) During the course of this study they had neither complaints nor symptoms suggesting the mercury vapour intoxication Mercury concentrations in blood, urine, and hair of these subjects before the job-assignment were compatible with those of ormal Japanese without any particular exposure to mercurials (Suzuki, 1976).
Results Mercury in Urine In comparison with the values before the job-assignment, no significant increment of urinary inorganic and organic mercury was observed even after 8 months of mercury exposure (Table 1). Mercury in Blood In red blood cells the organic mercury increased significantly at 4 and 8 months after the commencement of mercury work, while the inorganic mercury showed no significant increment (Table 2) In plasma both inorganic and organic mercury showed significant increments after 4 and 8 months in comparison with those values before the commencement of mercury work The red blood cells-to-plasma ratio of inorganic mercury concentrations was 3 29 at the pre-assignment period, 1 36 after 4 months, and 1 91 after 8 months, and these decrements were resulted from the elevation of inorganic mercury levels in plasma, and both of these values after 4 and 8 months were significantly lower than that at the pre-assignment period, but no significant change was observed between the two occasions after the commencement of mercury work. In the case of the organic mercury concentrations the red blood cell-to-plasma ratio was 13 41 at the pre-assignment period, 9 13 after 4 months, and 14 93 after 8 months. Mercury in Hair During the course of this study, the level of organic mercury in hair remained almost constant (Table 3), although only the inorganic mercury level after 8 months increased significantly, perhaps due to the external contamination with mercury vapour.
Inorganic and Organic Mercury in Blood, Urine and Hair in Low Level Mercury Vapour Exposure 251 Table 1 Mercury in urine occasion
Ag Hg / g creatinine inorganic mercury
before after 4 months after 8 months
organic mercury
2 64 (1 59) 2 78 (1 14) 2 66 (1 58)
0 22 (0 29) 0 31 (0 21) 0 29 (0 28)
Figures in the table are means and standard deviations (in parantheses) Each two out of three means of different occasions were compared to by t-statistic; a p< O 05, b p
