ABSTRACT
Significant sublethal effects of mercury include an increased frequency of cancers, birth defects, and chromosomal aberrations in laboratory animals and wildlife. Adverse sublethal effects of mercurials also include growth inhibition, abnormal reproduction, histopathology, high mercury accumulations and persistence, and disrupted biochemistry, metabolism, and behavior. These — and other aspects of exposure to various mercurials by living organisms — are documented and discussed for representative species of bacteria and other microorganisms, aquatic and terrestrial plants and invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, birds, and mammals.
