ABSTRACT
The main industrial sources of inorganic mercury pol lutants are the paint, chemical, and paper manufacturing industries (Table 61-1) (1,2). Mercury-containing paint can raise the total indoor air mercury concentration by 1,000 times the level before painting (3). Paint manu facturers agreed to stop using mercury in interior paint after 1990; however, sale of existing stocks of interior latex paints was allowed until 1991. Because many peo ple keep partly used cans of paint, pre-1990 paint may continue to be a source of mercury exposure for years (4,5).
