Determination of Mercury in Blood and Urine by Cold Vapor AAS Using the VGA-77 Authors

A variety of clinical manifestations of mercury intoxication may be encountered depending mainly upon the mercurial involved. Inhalation of elemental mercury results in pulmonary, central nervous system (CNS) and kidney damage. The CNS damage produces a spectrum of behavioural and neurological deficits. Ingestion of inorganic mercurials may, because of their corrosive nature, produce devastating gastrointestinal damage that is of more immediate clinical importance than the mercury exposure. Once absorbed the inorganic mercurials concentrate in the kidney and may produce a proximal tubular necrosis. Exposure to organomercurials such as methyl mercury produces predominantly CNS effects that are commonly severe and include coma and death. The organomercurials can cross the placenta to the unborn child producing post natal cerebral palsy. Organomercurials are typically encountered in the food chain as a result of methylation of inorganic mercury salts by bacteria. There have been reports of various clinical presentations where pharmaceutical organomercurials have been applied to surgical wounds and membranes as desiccants and antiseptics [1].