Urine mercury in micromercurialism: bimodal distribution and diagnostic implications.

Author: Ely JT, Fudenberg HH, Muirhead RJ, LaMarche MG, Krone CA, Buscher D, Stern EA.

Source: Bull Environ Contam Toxicol.

Year: 1999

Comment:

In this study, dental amalgam is related to micromercurialism in patients and dental workers. This study concludes, "Understanding retention toxicity and bone storage of Hg will result in successful diagnosis of MM. This in turn will enable study of MM and testing the validity of reported associations with serious idiopathic disorders."

Abstract / Excerpt:

“The term Micromercurialism (MM) has long been used to denote those disease conditions in which chronic exposure to very low concentrations of mercury (Hg) is thought to be etiologic (Gerstner and Huff 1977; Nylander 1986; Eggleston and Nylander 1987; Sunderman 1988; Klaassen 1990; Ziff 1992). It is believed to occur in several percent of the population and is reported to be a probable cause of serious disorders including psychoses (Pleva 1994) and Alzheimer’s disease (Thompson et al. 1988). Yet MM is almost never diagnosed because of nonspecific symptoms, and certain complexities in urine excretion of Hg (Klaassen 1990; Gerstner and Huff 1977). We explain a model of MM that predicts two states and, therefore, two populations.”

Citation:

Ely JTA, Fudenberg HH, Muirhead RJ, LaMarche MG, Krone CA, Buscher D, Stern EA. Urine mercury in micromercurialism: bimodal distribution and diagnostic implications. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 1999; 63(5):553-559.