Superfund Research Program
Heme Pathway Polymorphisms in Mercury Neurotoxicity in Adults and Children
Project Leader: James S. Woods
Grant Number: P42ES004696
Funding Period: 1995 - 2009
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Project investigators acquired blood samples from 17 subjects in a dental professional population with occupational exposure to low levels of elemental mercury vapor associated with the preparation of dental amalgam fillings. DNA was extracted from the blood samples and automated sequencing-based assays were developed to examine the 7 exons and flanking intron-exon boundries of the human coproporphyrinogen oxidase gene. Six subjects in the group of 17 were found to manifest very high rates of porphyrin excretion in reponse to mercury exposure. Among 4 of these 6 subjects, we found a polymorphism in exon 4 encoding a N272H substitution. These findings indicate a possible genetic predisposition to an altered biological response to mercury that could affect mercury disposition and health risks. The atypical response could therefore serve as a biomarker of susceptibility to mercury toxicity.