Mercury in human hair and blood samples from people living in Wanshan mercury mine area, Guizhou, China: an XAS study.
TL;DR: Inorganic mercury is the major mercury species in hair samples, while inorganic and methyl mercury are both about 50% of total mercury in RBC and serum samples, which is in agreement with the data obtained by acidic extraction, fractionation of Hg(2+) and CH(3)Hg(+) and quantification by ICP-MS.
About: This article is published in Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry.The article was published on 2008-03-01. It has received 17 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Mercury (element).
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TL;DR: The questions surrounding hair analysis are addressed with specific intent of discovering what hair concentrations can actually relate to in a biogenic sense, and why and how elements are incorporated into hair and their meaning.
Abstract: Hair analysis receives a large amount of academic and commercial interest for wide-ranging applications. However, in many instances, especially for elemental or ‘mineral’ analysis, the degree of success of analytical interpretation has been quite minimal with respect to the extent of such endeavors. In this critical review we address the questions surrounding hair analysis with specific intent of discovering what hair concentrations can actually relate to in a biogenic sense. This is done from a chemistry perspective to explain why and how elements are incorporated into hair and their meaning. This includes an overview of variables attributed to altering hair concentrations, such as age, gender, melanin content, and other less reported factors. Hair elemental concentrations are reviewed with regard to morbidity, with specific examples of disease related effects summarized. The application of hair analysis for epidemiology and etiology studies is enforced. A section is dedicated specifically to the area of population studies with regards to mercury, which highlights how endogenous and exogenous incorporation relies on species dependant metabolism and metabolic products. Many of the considerations are relevant to other areas of interest in hair analysis, such as for drug and isotopic analysis. Inclusion of a table of elemental concentrations in hair should act as a valuable reference (298 references).
153 citations
TL;DR: A review of analytical speciation methods developed for: the determination of oxidation states; organometallic compounds; coordination compounds; metal and heteroatom-containing biomolecules, including metalloproteins, proteins, peptides and amino acids; and the use of metal-tagging to facilitate detection via atomic spectrometry as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: This is the fourth Atomic Spectrometry Update (ASU) to focus specifically on developments in elemental speciation and covers a period of approximately 12 months from January 2011. The International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has evaluated speciation and provided a definition as follows: “speciation analysis is the analytical activity of identifying and/or measuring the quantities of one or more individual chemical species in a sample; the chemical species are specific forms of an element defined as to isotopic composition, electronic or oxidation state, and/or complex or molecular structure; the speciation of an element is the distribution of an element amongst defined chemical species in a system.” This review therefore deals with all aspects of the analytical speciation methods developed for: the determination of oxidation states; organometallic compounds; coordination compounds; metal and heteroatom-containing biomolecules, including metalloproteins, proteins, peptides and amino acids; and the use of metal-tagging to facilitate detection via atomic spectrometry. The review does not cover operationally defined ‘speciation’, which is correctly termed fractionation. As with all ASU reviews1–6 the coverage of the topic is confined to those methods that incorporate atomic spectrometry as the measurement technique. However, in the spirit of meeting the needs of the subject, material is incorporated that is not strictly “atomic spectrometry” but the separation or sample introduction technique used could also be coupled with an atomic spectrometry detector. For the most part, such procedures are those in which some form of molecular MS is used for speciation measurements. As the content of this Update shows, the field is now maturing as evidenced by the extent to which the speciation of particular elements or technique combinations have been the subject of review articles. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ascertain the analytical details of the methodologies applied in speciation analysis, particularly where the paper is published in an ‘application’ based journal.
73 citations
TL;DR: Results show that Se at higher exposure levels would significantly inhibit the absorption and transportation of Hg when Hg(2+) levels are higher than 1mg/L in culture media, and elemental imaging using μ-SRXRF shows that Se could inhibit the accumulation and translocation of HG in garlic.
70 citations
TL;DR: Exposure to a mixture of ubiquitous chemicals at concentrations found in human amniotic fluid affect thyroid hormone-dependent transcription, gene expression, brain development and behaviour in early embryogenesis, suggesting that ubiquitous chemical mixtures could be exerting adverse effects on foetal human brain development.
Abstract: Thyroid hormones are essential for normal brain development in vertebrates. In humans, abnormal maternal thyroid hormone levels during early pregnancy are associated with decreased offspring IQ and modified brain structure. As numerous environmental chemicals disrupt thyroid hormone signalling, we questioned whether exposure to ubiquitous chemicals affects thyroid hormone responses during early neurogenesis. We established a mixture of 15 common chemicals at concentrations reported in human amniotic fluid. An in vivo larval reporter (GFP) assay served to determine integrated thyroid hormone transcriptional responses. Dose-dependent effects of short-term (72 h) exposure to single chemicals and the mixture were found. qPCR on dissected brains showed significant changes in thyroid hormone-related genes including receptors, deiodinases and neural differentiation markers. Further, exposure to mixture also modified neural proliferation as well as neuron and oligodendrocyte size. Finally, exposed tadpoles showed behavioural responses with dose-dependent reductions in mobility. In conclusion, exposure to a mixture of ubiquitous chemicals at concentrations found in human amniotic fluid affect thyroid hormone-dependent transcription, gene expression, brain development and behaviour in early embryogenesis. As thyroid hormone signalling is strongly conserved across vertebrates the results suggest that ubiquitous chemical mixtures could be exerting adverse effects on foetal human brain development.
48 citations
TL;DR: Results demonstrated that CFL manufacturing activities resulted in THg accumulation in the hair of CFL workers, however, MeHg in hair were mainly affected by the sources of rice of the residents.
41 citations
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Book•
31 Mar 1996
TL;DR: In this paper, the formation of complexes with unidentate ligands in aqueous solution is discussed. And the selectivity of Ligands of Biological Interest for Metal Ions in Aqueous Solution is discussed, with some implications for Biology.
Abstract: Introductory Overview. Factors Governing the Formation of Complexes with Unidentate Ligands in Aqueous Solution: Some General Considerations. Chelating Ligands. Complexes of Macrocycles and Other More Highly Preorganized Ligands. Medical Applications of Metal Complexes. The Selectivity of Ligands of Biological Interest for Metal Ions in Aqueous Solution: Some Implications for Biology. Stability Constants and Their Measurements. Index.
598 citations
TL;DR: The general conclusion is that Hg contamination in Wanshan is geographically more widespread, due to deposition and scavenging of Hg from contaminated air and deposition on land, and the population mostly at risk is located in the vicinity of smelting facilities, mining activities and close to the waste disposal sites in the wider area of Wansan.
422 citations
375 citations
TL;DR: The findings do not support an association between total mercury exposure and the risk of coronary heart disease, but a weak relation cannot be ruled out.
Abstract: Background A high dietary intake of mercury from consumption of fish has been hypothesized to increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Methods Using a nested case–control design, we investigated the association between mercury levels in toenails and the risk of coronary heart disease among male health professionals with no previous history of cardiovascular disease or cancer who were 40 to 75 years of age in 1986. Toenail clippings were collected in 1987 from 33,737 cohort members, and during five years of follow-up, we documented 470 cases of coronary heart disease (coronary-artery surgery, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and fatal coronary heart disease). Each patient was matched according to age and smoking status with a randomly selected control subject. Results The mercury level was significantly correlated with fish consumption (Spearman r=0.42, P<0.001), and the mean mercury level was higher in dentists than in nondentists (mean, 0.91 and 0.45 μg per gram, respectively; P<0.001). After age, smo...
302 citations
TL;DR: The oral intake of 2.6μCi of methyl-mercuric nitrate Hg 203 by three clinically healthy, white, male volunteers resulted in an accumulation in the liver and the head of the 203Hg, with the biological half-life found to be 70 to 74 days.
Abstract: The oral intake of 2.6μCi of methyl-mercuric nitrate Hg 203 by three clinically healthy, white, male volunteers aged 37 to 44 years resulted in an accumulation in the liver and the head of the 203Hg. The main excretory route was the feces but the urinary excretion increased with time up to 30 days after the intake. The biological half-life was found with whole body measurements to be 70 to 74 days. The decline of 203Hg in the head was less rapid than in the rest of the body. No 203Hg was found in the sperm. A very rapid uptake was found in the erythrocytes. The main activity was localized in the liver (about 50% of the contents of the body) whereas the head contained about 10% of the total body content. After infinite time a weekly unit dose of methyl mercuric nitrate Hg 203 will result in a whole body burden of 15.2 units mercury.
251 citations