Preliminary report on a population that received a heavy exposure to methyl mercury
An epidemic of methyl mercury poisoning due to the consumption of homemade bread prepared from wheat treated with a methyl mercury fungicide occurred in Iraq in the winter of 1971-1972, with 6530 cases admitted to hospitals. Four hundred and fifty nine died in hosptials. Observations on 16 patients over a period of 60 days indicated a median clearance half-time from blood of approximately 70 days. Concentrations of total mercury in milk averaged 5% of the mercury in simultaneously collected samples of whole blood. Concentrations of total mercury in urine samples did not correlate with concentrations of mercury in blood. Inorganic mercury accounted for the following average percentages of total mercury: 22% in plasma, 40% in milk and 73% in urine. Studies of dose-response relationships indicated that toxic effects of methyl mercury became clinically detectable at body burdens in the range of 0.05-0.8 mg Hg/kg body weight. 8 references, 4 figures.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Rochester, NY
- OSTI ID:
- 5960228
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-730613-
- Journal Information:
- Trace Subst. Environ. Health; (United States), Vol. 7; Conference: 7. annual conference on trace substances in environmental health, Columbia, MO, USA, 12 Jun 1973
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
FOOD
CONTAMINATION
METHYLMERCURY
TOXICITY
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
EXCRETION
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INGESTION
IRAQ
QUANTITY RATIO
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
ASIA
CLEARANCE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DISTRIBUTION
HAZARDS
INTAKE
MERCURY COMPOUNDS
MIDDLE EAST
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC MERCURY COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
560306* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)