Diagnostic Value of Urine Mercury Measurements

Abstract

Health Authority for a wide range of trace metal and associated analyses. The total population served is approximately three million although not all laboratories with access to the Guildford centre refer specimens there for analysis, preferring to deal with them themselves.With so many referring laboratories there is inevitably considerable variation in the type and cleanliness of containers used for the collection of 24-hour urine specimens. There is little variation, however, in the type of bottles used to send aliquots from such collections to the Reference Laboratory. exposure to inorganic mercury can lead to weakness, anorexia, loss of weight, tremor, and erethisrnf. Thus, in the absence of a clear history of exposure, mercury toxicity may not immediately be suspected by a physician confronted by a patient complaining of such non-specific symptoms.Laboratory diagnosis and assessment of exposure is made by measuring mercury in urine. Urinary excretion, preferably over 24 hours, is the best index of exposure to mercury (Smith et al., 1970). 'Normal output' has been variably reported as less than 0'5 fLmol/1 (Noe, 1960), less than 0·15 fLmol/1 (Nobel and Leifheit, 1961), and less than 0'05 fLmol/1 (Wallach, 1972). Results obtained in this laboratory using cold vapour atomic absorption spectrophotometry are in agreement with the last figure (Taylor and Marks, 1973).

Health hazard evaluation report: HETA-87-265-1975, Joseph T. Luttmer, D.D.S., Cincinnati, Ohio.

“…Thirty-five percent had urine mercury levels less than 10 ug/l, and 98 percent had levels below 100 ug/l. 13 A technical bulletin published in 1967 by the state of California presented a commonly-applied guideline of 30 ug/l for the upper limit of urine mercury in a group without occupational exposure.…”

“…The average daily intake of methylmercury from fish has been estimated to vary between 1 and 20 ug/day, depending on diet, the type of fish consumed, and level of aquatic contamination The daily intake of inorganic mercury is not thought to exceed 10 ug in the absence of occupational exposures. 13 NIOSH currently recommends that exposure to inorganic mercury be limited to 0.050 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m Mercury can enter the body through the lungs by inhalation, through the skin by direct contact, or through the digestive systems 4 . Acute or short-term exposure to high concentrations of mercury causes tightness and pain in the chest, difficulty in breathing, coughing, inflammation of the mouth and gums, headaches, and fever 4,5 .…”