Methylation of mercury from dental amalgam and mercuric chloride by oral streptococci in vitro

Heintze, U; Edwardsson, S.; Dérand, Tore; Birkhed, Dowen

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0722.1983.tb00792.x

Cited by 43 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The families living with in the vicinity of the mines also use the heat of the smelting process for cooking. The methylation of Hg by intestinal or oral bacteria (27,28) may also be a source of MeHg for them. The average MeHg exposure level in the exposed group was estimated to be about 0.2 μg/kg/day, which is twofold higher than the reference dose level established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High exposure of Chinese mercury mine workers to elemental mercury vapor and increased methylmercury levels in their hair

Sakamoto

Feng

et al. 2007

Environ Health Prev Med

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Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the level of exposure of mercury (Hg) miners and smelter workers to elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) vapor in China, who work in Hg mines without using protective equipment against Hg 0 vapor. In addition, the level of methylmercury (MeHg) intake by the workers was estimated from the MeHg concentration in their hair.Methods: Urinary total mercury (THg) and hair THg and MeHg concentrations were measured in 26 Hg miners and smelter workers (i.e., exposed group), and 48 unexposed people (unexposed group).Results: The exposed group showed high geometric mean THg concentrations in urine (258 ng/ml, 226 μg/g creatinine) and hair (20.0 μg/g). The urinary THg concentration of the smelter workers in particular was extremely high (338 μg/g creatinine in urine). The highest urine THg concentration reached 4577 μg/g creatinine. THg concentrations in urine and hair showed a significant correlation in the exposed group (r=0.62), indicating the adhesion of Hg 0 vapor to hair. However, no such significant correlation was found in the unexposed group. Hair MeHg concentration in the exposed group (1.97 μg/g) was about threefold higher than that in the unexposed group (0.60 μg/g).Conclusions: This study shows that smelter workers in a Chinese Hg mine are exposed to extremely high levels of Hg 0 vapor, and that Hg miners are exposed to higher levels of MeHg than the unexposed subjects. Further study is needed to determine the cause of the higher hair MeHg concentration in the exposed group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High exposure of Chinese mercury mine workers to elemental mercury vapor and increased methylmercury levels in their hair

Sakamoto

Feng

et al. 2007

Environ Health Prev Med

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“…Organic mercury generated in the environment has been associated with bacterial activity [WHO, 1991]. It has also been shown that organic mercury compounds are formed by oral bacteria in vitro [Heintze et al, 1983]. In the light of these results, bacteria in the oral environment could be among the major sources of organic mercury in human saliva.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental Amalgam Fillings and the Amount of Organic Mercury in Human Saliva

Leistevuo

Helenius

et al. 2001

Caries Res

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We studied differences in the amounts of organic and inorganic mercury in saliva samples between amalgam and nonamalgam human study groups. The amount of organic and inorganic mercury in whole saliva was measured in 187 adult study subjects. The mercury contents were determined by cold–vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. The amount of organic and inorganic mercury in paraffin–stimulated saliva was significantly higher (p<0.001) in subjects with dental amalgam fillings (n = 88) compared to the nonamalgam study groups (n = 43 and n = 56): log_e (organic mercury) was linearly related to log_e (inorganic mercury, r² = 0.52). Spearman correlation coefficients of inorganic and organic mercury concentrations with the number of amalgam–filled tooth surfaces were 0.46 and 0.27, respectively. Our results are compatible with the hypothesis that amalgam fillings may be a continuous source of organic mercury, which is more toxic than inorganic mercury, and almost completely absorbed by the human intestine.

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“…In adults, secretion rates of unstimulated whole saliva were found to be negatively correlated with age both in males and females 8,9 as well as females alone. 10 Conversely, no significant influence of age on the stimulated salivary flow rate was observed in a crosssectional study of unmedicated adults conducted by Parvinen and Larmas. 11 Different results in adults were also obtained on the relationship between age and the concentration of either specific salivary proteins or total proteins in the whole saliva, 12 parotid saliva, [13][14][15][16] and submandibular/sublingual saliva.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Age-Dependent Modifications of the Human Salivary Secretory Protein Complex

et al. 2009

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Physiological variability of the naturally occurring, human salivary secretory peptidome was studied as a function of age. The qualitative and quantitative changes occurring in the secretion of proteins/peptides specific to the oral cavity (i.e., basic salivary proline-rich proteins, salivary acidic proline-rich phosphoproteins, statherin, proline-rich peptide P-B, salivary cystatins, and histatins) were investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry in 67 subjects aged between 3 and 44 years. Subjects were divided into five age groups: group A, 8 donors, 3-5 years; group B, 11 donors, 6-9 years; group C, 20 donors, 10-12 years; group D, 15 donors, 13-17 years; group E, 13 donors, 24-44 years. Basic salivary proline-rich proteins, almost undetectable in the 3-5 and 6-9 years groups, reached salivary levels comparable to that of adults (24-44 years) around puberty. Levels of peptide P-D, basic peptide P-F, peptide P-H, peptide P-J (a new basic salivary proline-rich protein characterized in this study), and basic proline-rich peptide IB-1 were significantly higher in the 10-12-year-old group than in the 3-5-year-old group, whereas the increase of proline-rich peptide II-2 was significant only after the age of 12 years. The concentration of salivary acidic proline-rich phosphoproteins, histatin-3 1/24, histatin-3 1/25, and monophosphorylated and diphosphorylated cystatin S showed a minimum in the 6-9-year-old group. Finally, the histatin-1 concentration was significantly higher in the youngest subjects (3-5 years) than in the other groups.

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Methylation of mercury from dental amalgam and mercuric chloride by oral streptococci in vitro

Cited by 43 publications

References 13 publications

High exposure of Chinese mercury mine workers to elemental mercury vapor and increased methylmercury levels in their hair

High exposure of Chinese mercury mine workers to elemental mercury vapor and increased methylmercury levels in their hair

Dental Amalgam Fillings and the Amount of Organic Mercury in Human Saliva

Age-Dependent Modifications of the Human Salivary Secretory Protein Complex

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