Michael R. Greenwood

Intra-uterine Methylmercury Poisoning in Iraq

A disastrous epidemic of methylmercury poisoning occurred in rural Iraq early in 1972, due to the ingestion of home-made bread prepared from wheat treated with a methylmercury fungicide. We report the clinical and laboratory evaluation of 15 infant-mother pairs exposed to methylmercury during pregnancy, including mercury determinations in blood samples of mothers and infants, and in milk samples from mothers, during the first seven months following the epidemic.

Blood clearance half-times in lactating and nonlactating members of a population exposed to methylmercury.

An epidemic of methylmercury poisoning occurred in rural Iraq early in 1972 due to the ingestion of homemade bread prepared from wheat treated with a methylmercury fungicide. We report observations of the blood mercury clearance half-times of lactating women and nonlactating groups who were exposed during the epidemic. Blood clearance half-times calculated by linear regression analysis show that in lactating females, the mean half-time is 42 days and in nonlactating females and males, the mean half-time is 75 days. Experiments in mice also show such differences in whole body half-time: 5.6 days in lactating females and 9.3 days in nonlactating females.

The depression of pulmonary retention of mercury vapor by ethanol: Identification of the site of action☆☆☆

Abstract This study was undertaken to see whether the decreased pulmonary absorption of mercury vapor in alcohol-treated animals was due to decreased pulmonary transport or to decreased in vivo oxidation of the metal in the red blood cells. Metallic mercury dissolved in a phosphate buffer was introduced iv into alcohol-treated and untreated animals. The untreated animals exhaled 14% of the injected mercury as compared to 22% in the 34 treated animals. Furthermore, exhalation of mercury vapor continued for a much longer period in 17 treated animals. Alcohol also reduced the lung content of mercury by a factor of 10 and, to a less extent, the mercury content of heart, brain and blood. It was concluded that the primary effect of alcohol is on the rate of the in vivo oxidation of metallic mercury.

Transfer of metallic mercury into the foetus

Der Quecksilbergehalt im Mutterblut von Ratten war nach Injektionen von Quecksilbersalz 25 mal höher als derjenige von mit radioaktivem Quecksilberdampf behandelten Muttertieren. Auf den Foetus ging hingegen 47 mal mehr Quecksilber über, wenn das Muttertier Quecksilberdämpfen ausgesetzt wurde.

Organic mercury exposure from fungicide-contaminated eggs.

During a period of 50 to 55 days from early January to March 2, 1979, 14 members of an extended family in Yakima, Washington, ate eggs contaminated with organic mercury. Seed grain which had been treated with a mercurial fungicide and fed to chickens in a home flock was the source of exposure. Blood mercury levels in family members ranged from 0.9 to 20.2 ppb and correlated positively with average daily egg consumption (r = 0.92). There were no symptoms or physical signs of organic mercury intoxication. Prompt confiscation of the contaminated grain, eggs, and chicken flock terminated the exposure and may have prevented the development of serious illness.