Elemental mercury exposure occurs frequently and is potentially a toxic, particularly in children. Children are often attracted to elemental mercury because of its color, density, and tendency to form beads. Clinical manifestations of elemental mercury intoxication vary depending on its form, concentration, route of ingestion, and the duration of exposure. We present data on 179 pediatric cases of elemental mercury poisoning from exposure to mercury in schools in two different provinces of Turkey. Of all patients, 160 children had both touched/played with the mercury and inhaled its vapors, while 26 children had only inhaled the mercury vapor, two children reported having tasted the mercury. The median duration of exposure was 5 min (min 1-max 100), and 11 (6 %) children were exposed to the mercury for more than 24 h at home. More than half of the children (51.9 %) were asymptomatic at admission. Headache was the most common presenting complaint. The results of physical and neurological examinations were normal in 80 (44.6 %) children. Mid-dilated/dilated pupils were the most common neurological abnormality, and this sign was present in 90 (50.2 %) children. Mercury levels were measured in 24-h urine samples daily, and it was shown that the median urinary level of mercury was 29.80 μg/L (min, 2.40 μg/L; max, 4,687 μg/L). A positive correlation was also found between the duration of exposure and urinary mercury levels (r = 0.23, p = 0.001). All patients were followed up for 6 months. On the first follow-up visit performed 1 month after discharge, the neurological examinations of all patients were normal except for those patients with peripheral neuropathy and visual field defects. On the last follow-up visit at the sixth month, only two children still experienced visual field defects. In conclusion, this study is one of the largest case series of mercury intoxication of students in schools. Elemental mercury exposure can be potentially toxic, and its symptomatology is variable, particularly in children. Therefore, school staff and children should be aware of the risk of mercury toxicity. Pediatricians also need to warn parents and children about the hazards of playing with any chemical.

Objectives: To explore the rate of pneumoconiosis in dental technicians (DTP) and to evaluate the risk factors. Material and Methods: Data of 893 dental technicians, who were admitted to our hospital in the period January 2007-May 2012, from 170 dental laboratories were retrospectively examined. Demographic data, respiratory symptoms, smoking status, work duration, working fields, exposure to sandblasting, physical examination findings, chest radiographs, pulmonary function tests and high-resolution computed tomography results were evaluated. Results: Dental technicians' pneumoconiosis rate was 10.1% among 893 cases. The disease was more common among males and in those exposed to sandblasting who had 77-fold higher risk of DTP. The highest profusion subcategory was 3/+ (according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) 2011 standards) and the large opacity rate was 13.3%. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, it was the largest DTP case series (N = 893/90) in the literature in English. Health screenings should be performed regularly for the early diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, which is an important occupational disease for dental technicians.

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Our data indicate that NLR may be a better predictor than CRP for occurrence of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Lead exposure in male workers is an important factor for deterioration in bone mineral density. We should be screening blood lead levels and history of lead exposure in male osteoporosis.

Background and Aim. Contact dermatitis (CD) is the most prevalent occupational skin disease with a significant impact on quality of life. Patch testing is used for the identification of responsible allergens which may improve protective and preventive measures in the workplace. Herein, we aim to identify the demographic characteristics and occupation of patients with early diagnosis of occupational CD and compare patch test results. Materials and Methods. The study included 330 patients referred to our clinic between April 2009 and April 2011 and who were patch-tested with 28-allergen European Standard Test. Results. 126 (38%) patients were female and 204 (62%) were male with a mean age of 36.12 (±13.13) years. Positive allergic reactions were observed in 182 (55%) patients. Nickel sulphate (41/126) and potassium dichromate (39/204) were significantly the most common allergens in women and men, respectively (P < 0.005). Additionally, the most common occupation in women was household activities (83/126) and in men was manufacturing (80/204). Conclusion. The allergens to which people become sensitized differ according to their working environment and occupation. Classification of occupations is important for identification of sensitization risks and monitoring of changes in allergen distribution of different occupations.

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Serum NSE, GRIA 1, and S100B were increased with mercury exposure. GRIA 1 and S100B levels were observed to have the power to discriminate neurological symptom positive and negative groups. The increase in S100B levels are thought to be protecting the neurons and preventing further NSE elevations.