RT Book, Section
A1 Kosnett, Michael J.
A2 Olson, Kent R.
A2 Anderson, Ilene B.
A2 Benowitz, Neal L.
A2 Blanc, Paul D.
A2 Clark, Richard F.
A2 Kearney, Thomas E.
A2 Kim-Katz, Susan Y.
A2 Wu, Alan H. B.
SR Print(0)
ID 1174606363
T1 MERCURY
T2 Poisoning & Drug Overdose, 7e
YR 2018
FD 2018
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071839792
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1174606363
RD 2024/10/07
AB Mercury  (Hg)  is  a  naturally  occurring  metal  that  is  mined  chiefly  as  HgS  in  cinnabar  ore.  It  is  converted  to  three  primary  forms,  each  with  a  distinct  toxicology:  elemental  (metallic)  mercury  (Hg0),  inorganic  mercury  salts  (eg,  mercuric  chloride  [HgCl2]),  and  organic  (alkyl  and  aryl)  mercury  (eg,  methylmercury).  Approximately  one-half  to  one-third  of  commercial  mercury  use  is  in  the  manufacture  of  chlorine  and  caustic  soda,  one-half  to  one-third  in  electric  equipment,  and  the  remainder  in  various  applications,  such  as  dental  amalgam,  fluorescent  lamps,  switches,  thermostats,  and  artisanal  gold  production.  In  the  United  States,  mercury  use  in  batteries  and  paints  has  been  discontinued.  Previous  use  in  pharmaceuticals  and  biocides  has  declined  sharply,  although  mercuric  chloride  is  still  used  as  a  stool  fixative,  and  some  organomercury  compounds  (such  as  mercurochrome,  phenylmercuric  acetate,  and  thimerosal)  are  still  used  as  topical  antiseptics  or  preservatives.  Some  folk  medicines  contain  inorganic  mercury  compounds,  and  some  Latin  American  and  Caribbean  communities  have  used  elemental  mercury  in  religious  or  cultural  rituals.  Hazardous  exposure  has  resulted  from  dermal  use  of  imported  skin  lightening  creams  formulated  with  inorganic  mercury  salts.  Aquatic  organisms  can  convert  inorganic  mercury  into  methylmercury,  with  resulting  bioaccumulation  in  large  carnivorous  fish  such  as  swordfish.  Mercury  is  released  to  the  environment  from  the  burning  of  coal  and  from  fugitive  emissions  during  the  large-scale  mining  of  gold.  In  an  effort  to  curtail  the  use  of  elemental  mercury  in  artisanal  gold  mining  and  other  pathways  of  environmental  mercury  pollution,  the  European  Union  has  enacted  a  ban  on  the  export  of  most  inorganic  mercury  effective  2011;  a  US  ban  on  export  of  elemental  mercury  took  effect  in  2013.