A total of 4,604 bacterial strains isolated from the sediments of Minamata Bay and nearby low-level-mercury stations (control stations) were screened for the ability to volatilize mercury from inorganic and organic mercurial compounds. The strains that volatilize mercury from several kinds of organomercurials were found only in the sediments of Minamata Bay.

The author proposes the symptoms set often referred to as Morgellons Disease is the result of increasing inorganic mercury levels beyond the blood/brain barrier (hereafter referred to as the Barrier Theory). While inorganic mercury does not easily pass beyond the barrier, organic mercury does and may return to an inorganic state beyond the barrier. If proven valid, our present understanding of ...

OBJECTIVES Mercury combined with other metals to form solid amalgams has long been used in reconstructive dentistry but its use has been controversial since at least the middle of the 19th century. The exposure and body burden of mercury reviews have consistently stated that there is a deficiency of adequate epidemiological studies addressing this issue. Fish and dental amalgam are two major so...

A highly sensitive and selective fluorescent probe for inorganic and organic mercury species displays colorimetric and ratiometric response in a buffer solution via mercury promoted cleavage reaction. The probe is demonstrated to detect CH(3)HgCl in living cells.

The focus of this work is to explore the use of the netted whelk, Nassarius reticulatus (L.), as an indicator of mercury (Hg) contamination, by assessing the concentration of Hg in the sediments and in the whelk along the entire Portuguese coast. Total Hg concentrations ranged from below the detection limit (0.01 ng absolute mercury) up to 0.87 mg kg(-1) dry weight (dwt) in sediments and betwee...

Mercury distribution in the oceans is controlled by complex biogeochemical cycles, resulting in retention of trace amounts of this metal in plants and animals. Inter- and intra-specific variations in mercury levels of predatory pelagic fish have been previously linked to size, age, trophic position, physical and chemical environmental parameters, and location of capture; however, considerable v...

Juvenile rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) were exposed to 100 ppb mercury (as HgCl2) in the water for 14 days. Concentrations of mercury in water and fish organs were monitored using radiolabeled mercury. Tissues from kidney and liver were fixed, and sections were developed by autometallography, a method whereby accumulations of mercury sulfides and/or mercury selenides are silver amplified. In ...

Mercury at low concentrations represents a major hazard to microorganisms. Inorganic mercury has been reported to produce harmful e€ects at 5 lg/l in a culture medium. Organomercury compounds can exert the same e€ect at concentrations 10 times lower than this. The organic forms of mercury are generally more toxic to aquatic organisms and birds than the inorganic forms. Aquatic plants are a€ecte...

Direct determination of mercury (Hg) speciation in sulfide-containing environments is confounded by low mercury concentrations and poor analytical sensitivity. Here we report the results of experiments designed to assess mercury speciation at environmentally relevant ratios of mercury to dissolved organic matter (DOM) (i.e., <4 nmol Hg (mg DOM)(-1)) by combining solid phase extraction using C(1...