ABSTRACT
The toxicity of mercury has been recognized since antiquity (Hook and Hewitt, 1986). No other metal demonstrates the diversity of effects caused by different biochemical forms than does mercury (Goyer, 1986). Toxicologically, there are three forms of mercury: (1) elemental mercury, (2) inorganic mercury compounds, and (3) organomercurials (Goyer, 1986). Among the various forms of mercury and its compounds, elemental mercury in the form of vapor, mercuric mercury, and methylmercury have the greatest toxicological potential (Satoh, 1995). Metallic or elemental mercury volatilizes to mercury vapor at ambient air temperatures, and most human exposure is by inhalation. Mercury vapor is lipid soluble, readily diffuses across the alveolar membranes, and concentrates in erythrocytes and the central nervous system. Inorganic mercury salts can be divalent (mercuric) or monovalent (mercurous). Gastrointestinal (GI) absorption of inorganic salts of mercury from food is less than 15.0% in mice and about 7.0%
in a study of human volunteers; however, methylmercury absorption in the GI tract is 90.0 to 95.0%.
