Mercury vapor produces tremor in humans and experimental animals. We have previously reported that mercury vapor intoxication over an 8-week period induces only subtle changes in dorsal root ganglia and nerve roots in rats. In the present study we have carried out stereological analyses of the cerebellum of the same rats, and demonstrated significant losses of Purkinje cells (12.7%, 2P = 0.005) and granule cells (15.6%, 2P = 0.016). All sizes of Purkinje cells were lost with an equal probability, i.e. there were no indication of any preferential loss of any subpopulation of the neurons. The volume of the granular cell layer was significantly reduced (18.9%, 2P = 0.0 15), whereas the volumes of the molecular layer and the white matter were unchanged. Previous stereological studies have demonstrated that methyl mercury intoxication primarily induces degeneration in the peripheral nervous system, while sparing the cerebellum. We therefore suggest that metallic mercury vapor and methyl mercury have different toxicological profiles in rats, where metallic mercury vapor mainly affects the central nervous system and methyl mercury mainly affects the peripheral nervous system.

Two cases of rapid lethal intoxication with the herbicide glyphosate-trimesium (Touchdown) are presented. A 6-year-old boy who accidentally ingested a mouthful of glyphosate-trimesium died within minutes. The same happened to a 34-year-old woman who intentionally ingested approximately 150 ml of glyphosate-trimesium. The post-mortem examination revealed gastric content and oedema of the mucus membranes of the airways, erosion of the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, pulmonary oedema, cerebral oedema, and dilated right atrium and ventricle of the heart. The speed of which death occurs is much more rapid than lethal intoxications with the herbicide glyphosate (isoprophylamine), also known as ‘Roundup’. It is suggested that the lethal mechanism between the two herbicides may be different. The component, trimethylsulfonium, of the glyphosatetrimesium may facilitate the absorption after oral ingestion. This difference can be crucial in the treatment of human intoxication. We propose that containers with glyphosate-trimesium must be labelled because of the apparent effect of lethal intoxication.