Methyl mercury has previously been shown to inhibit DNA and RNA synthesis in intact HeLa cells (Gruenwedel, D. W., and Cruikshank, M. K. (1979) Biochem. Pharmacol. 28, 651-655). Its effect on nucleic acid synthesis in vitro in isolated nuclei has now been investigated. DNA synthesis in nuclei was inhibited by methyl mercury; 50% inhibition was obtained with a concentration of 8 microM, compared...

Methyl mercury is a developmental neurotoxicant. Exposure results principally from consumption by pregnant women of seafood contaminated by mercury from anthropogenic (70%) and natural (30%) sources. Throughout the 1990s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made steady progress in reducing mercury emissions from anthropogenic sources, especially from power plants, which account for 4...

A simple and rapid ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) protocol with dilute solutions of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) for the speciation of mercury in fish and plant tissues was developed as an alternative to conventional methods which require intensive treatments. The main operational parameters, such as extractant concentration (TMAH), sonication time and amount of sample, were optim...

When 'mercury' is released into the environment it may appear as, or be converted into, any of the following chemical forms: metallic mercury (Hg) inorganic mercury (Hg + and Hg *) monomethyl mercury (CH3 Hg+) dimethyl mercury (CH3 Hg CH3) The 'methyl mercury' discussed in this appendix is monomethyl mercury (CH3 Hg+) 1. Man (a) Adult (i) Occupational exposure lab personnel industrial workers a...

Clinical manifestations of chronic exposure to organic mercury usually have a gradual onset. As the primary target is the nervous system, chronic mercury exposure can cause symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, headache, and poor recall and concentration. In severe cases chronic exposure leads to intellectual deterioration and neurologic abnormality. Recent outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephal...

Kodaikkanal, India, suffered mercury contamination due to emissions and waste from a thermometer factory. Kodai Lake is situated to the north of the factory. The present study determined mercury in waters, sediment and fish samples and compared the values with those from two other lakes, Berijam and Kukkal. Total mercury (Hg(T)) of 356-465 ng l(-1), and 50 ng l(-1) of mercury in methyl mercury ...

Mercury is found in the environment as elemental mercury, inorganic mercury or organic mercury (ethyl-, methyl-, alkyl-, or phenylmercury). In our environment it is present in thermometers, thermostats, dental amalgams, paint, cosmetic products, laxatives, diuretics and antiseptics. Organic mercury is the most toxic and most frequent form of mercury exposure, found in fish, poultry, pesticides ...

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal, which can exist in several forms. Metallic mercury is a shiny, silver-white, odorless liquid, which forms a colorless, odorless gas if heated. Mercury combines with other elements such as chlorine, sulfur, or oxygen to form inorganic mercury compounds or salts, which are usually white solids. Mercury also combines with carbon to make organic mercury compo...

AIM To compare the total and organic mercury content in sea-fish samples from Croatia, where fishing occurs in a closed part of the Mediterranean Sea, and from other countries fishing mostly in the oceans. METHOD During 1997, we collected at the Zagreb fish market a total of 115 samples of fifteen kinds of fish including bathypelagic, pelagic and elasmobranch fish, caught in the wider coastal...