Biomarkers of mercury toxicity: Past, present, and future trends

Abstract

Mercury (Hg) toxicity continues to represent a global health concern. 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 tools to assess the effects and/or susceptibility to adverse metal-mediated health risks remains. Traditional biomarkers, such as hair or blood Hg levels, are practical and provide a reliable measure of exposure, but given intra-population variability, it is difficult to establish accurate cause-effect relationships. It is therefore important to identify and validate biomarkers that are predictive of early adverse effects prior to adverse health outcomes becoming irreversible. This review describes the predominant biomarkers used by toxicologists and epidemiologists to evaluate exposure, effect and susceptibility to Hg compounds, weighing on their advantages and disadvantages. Most importantly, and in light of recent findings on the molecular mechanisms underlying Hg-mediated toxicity, potential novel biomarkers that might be predictive of toxic effect are presented, and the applicability of these parameters in risk assessment is examined.

Mercury Biodistribution in Rats after Chronic Exposure to Mercury Chloride

“…In this sense, the determination of blood levels of mercury is often screened due to the health risk reported. 24 According to the Department of Surveillance in Environmental Health of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, 25 reference values for mercury in the blood is based on those measured in populations potentially free of exposure to this element. Thus, the reference value for mercury in non-exposed population ranges from 1 to 8 ng mL -1 .…”

Heavy Metals and Cancer

“…Several sources of this heavy metal have been identified as thermometers, fossil fuel emissions, dental fillings, certain batteries and burning medical waste [65,66]. Mercury compounds have the potential to be vaporized and enter the atmosphere or leech into soil or water systems [65,67]. Consuming large quantities of seafood has been identified as a primary method for environmental exposure to methyl mercury [65].…”

Enzyme‐Assisted Cyclic Signal Amplification by Using Carbon Nanomaterials for Hg2+ Detection

“…Mercury ion (Hg 2+ ), which widely distributes in environment, has been widely considered as one of the most toxic heavy metals and industrial pollutant. Hg 2+ can accumulate in the organism by conversion to methylmercury, leading to various human diseases such as brain damage, renal failure, and cognitive and motor impairment . At present, traditional methods for detection of heavy metal ions include chemical methods, electrochemical analysis methods, atomic absorption spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry .…”