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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Interaction of ethanol and inorganic mercury: generation of mercury vapor in vivo.

Authors: Dunn, J D; Clarkson, T W; Magos, L

Published In J Pharmacol Exp Ther, (1981 Jan)

Abstract: Mercury exhalation increased after parenteral administration of ethanol to mice injected with a single dose of mercuric chloride (0.5 mg of Hg/Kg). Increased output of the metal was ethanol dose-dependent (blood EC50 = 215 mg/dl) and maximal rates (0.2% of the body burden per 30 min) were about 10-fold higher than controls. The chemical form of exhaled mercury was determined to be the elemental vapor (Hg degrees) indicating an ethanol-sensitive reduction pathway for ionic mercury (Hg++) in the body. Ethanol appeared to selectively affect mercury exhalation inasmuch as no large differences in whole-body mercury retention times or in the distribution of the metal in organs could be detected even after repeated daily doses of ethanol. The results show that at least a portion of the ionic mercury in the body can be mobilized via reduction and Hg++ in tissues is more labile than generally recognized.

PubMed ID: 7452505 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication

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