What tests are done to detect mercury exposure?

What medical testing is used to detect mercury exposure? The most commonly accepted methods of assessing mercury exposure are to test urine or blood. Both tests usually measure levels of total mercury (elemental, inorganic and organic).

What are the symptoms of mercury exposure?

Symptoms of high exposures to inorganic mercury include:

• Skin rashes and dermatitis;
• Mood swings;
• Memory loss;
• Mental disturbances; and/or.
• Muscle weakness.

What is meant by biomarker of exposure?

Biomarkers of exposure are the actual chemicals, or chemical metabolites, that can be measured in the body or after excretion from the body to determine different characteristics of an organism’s exposure.

What is the most significant exposure pathway for metallic mercury?

Inhalation is a major exposure route of elemental mercury in the form of mercury vapor. Inhaled mercury vapor is readily absorbed, at a rate of approximately 80%, in the lungs, and quickly diffused into the blood and distributed into all of the organs of the body [1].

Is blood or urine test better for mercury?

For organic mercury the preferred test for determining toxicity is whole blood . Because organic mercury is eliminated via the faecal route, urine mercury testing is less useful.

Does mercury show up in blood tests?

Blood is primarily tested to detect the presence of methyl mercury. Other forms of mercury (metallic and inorganic) can also be detected in the blood, but the amount present will decrease by half about every 3 days as the mercury moves into organs such as the brain and kidneys.

Can mercury be absorbed through the skin?

ROUTES OF EXPOSURE: Elemental mercury is toxic primarily through inhalation of mercury vapors. It is only slowly absorbed through the skin, although it may cause skin and eye irritation. Elemental mercury droplets may be absorbed through eye contact.

What does mercury do to the skin?

It can mess up your skin, causing rashes, discoloration and scarring, as well as making your skin more susceptible to infections, basically the opposite of “skin care.” More like skin beware. That’s not all, folks. Mercury can really get under your skin, literally, into your blood stream and other parts of your body.

Are humans exposed to too much mercury?

Given that human populations are mostly exposed to low chronic levels of mercurial compounds (methylmercury through fish, mercury vapor from dental amalgams, and ethylmercury from vaccines), the need for more sensitive and refined … Mercury (Hg) toxicity continues to represent a global health concern.

Is Mercury a pollutant of global concern?

Mercury is a pollutant of global concern largely because of its adverse effects on human health.

What is the normal range for Mercury in the blood?

The pooled central median blood mercury concentration was 6.9 μ g / L (IQR: 2.8 – 12.3 μ g / L) with the upper bound median value being 42.4 μ g / L ( Figure 2; see also Excel Table S3).

How many countries are affected by mercury exposure?

From the cross-sectional studies, general background exposures were characterized from 201 subpopulations from 53 countries that included 52,136 and 39,035 mercury biomarker measures taken in blood and hair, respectively ( Table 2; see also Table S4).