• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence regarding injury and poisoning associated with the clinical mercury thermometer. Methods: Electronic literature searches were conducted for identification of relevant studies and case reports of injury and poisoning associated with the clinical mercury thermometer. The search outcomes were limited to literature with English and Korean languages published from 1966. Studies related to occupational mercury exposure, or mercury exposure from sphygmomanometer, barometer, and fluorescent light were excluded. Results: A total of 60 reports, including 59 case reports, were finally included. Of those, nine cases pertained to an intact thermometer as a foreign body, 25 injuries were related to a thermometer, and 26 cases involved exposures to mercury from a broken thermometer. Case reports were classified according to severity into 16 mild, 41 moderate, and two severe cases. Two cases of mortality were reported, one was deliberate intravenous injection of mercury and the other was acute vapor inhalation of mercury from broken thermometers. Conclusion: Findings of this systematic review suggested that the mercury thermometer could cause various forms of poisoning and injury. In particular, inhalation of mercury vapor from a broken thermometer can lead to systemic toxicity requiring chelating therapy.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 1999

Simultaneous determination of mercury and arsenic has been studied by reductive vapor generation-ICP-AES. Samples were digested with a microwave digestion system and extracted with acids. Reductive vapor generation was carried out with 6N HCI and 2% $NaBH_4$. Detection limit of Hg and As are found to be 0.06 ppb and 0.08 ppb, respectively. Measured values of Hg and As in inorganic samples agree well with reference value of SRMs, but the recovery of As from organic samples is obtained approximately 80% of the reference values.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 1993

This study aims at investigating the relationships between the urinary mercury concentration and blood zinc-protoportphyrin, serum cholinestrase activity, making 149 workers exposed to mercury vapor and 68 workers who were not exposed to mercury among the workers in a flurorescent lamp manufactureing factory an object of this investigation. The results are as follows ; 1. In an exposed group the number of those whose urinary mercury concentration showed over $100{\mu}g/l$ was 21 persons (14.3%) among 147 workers. The average urinary mercury concentration was $52.1{\pm}46.1{\mu}g/l$($1.8-361.2{\mu}g/l$), which proved to be higher than the average concentration in a control group. 2. In an exposed group, the average concentration of blood zinc-protoporphyrin was $27.8{\pm}12.5{\mu}g/dl$($12.2-101.5{\mu}g/dl$), which proved to be somewhat higher than the average concentration in a control group. But it did not show a significant difference. 3. In an exposed group, the average concentration of serum cholinesterase activity showed $1936.7{\pm}341.0IU/l$(1,120,0-2,8750IU/l), which proved to be lower than the average concentration in a control group. 4. The relational coefficient between urinary mercury concentration and blool zinc-protoporphyrin, serum cholinesterase activity of the whole workers exposed to mercury showed little difference. While the relational coefficient between the urinary mercury concentration and blood zinc-protoporphyrin of the workers whose urinary mercury concentration showed over $100{\mu}g/l$ was relatively high, which was 0.62.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.58-61
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• 2012

A method based on flow injection-isotope dilution-cold vapor-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (FI-IDCV-ICP/MS) has been applied to determine trace level of mercury in fly ash. $^{200}Hg$ isotopic spike was added to 0.25 g of BCR176R fly ash and then decomposed by microwave digestion procedure with acid mixture A (8 mL $HNO_3$ + 2 mL HCl + 2 mL HF) and acid mixture B (8 mL $HNO_3$ + 2 mL $HClO_4$ + 2 mL HF) for applying IDMS. Mercury cold vapor was generated by using reductant solution of 0.2% (w/w) $NaBH_4$ and 0.05% (w/w) NaOH. The measurements of n($^{200}Hg$)/n($^{202}Hg$) isotope ratio was made using a quadrupole ICP/MS system. The accuracy in this method was verified by the analysis of certified reference material (CRM) of fly ash (BCR 176R). The indicative value of Hg in BCR 176R fly ash was $1.60{\pm}0.23$ mg/kg (k = 2). The determined values of Hg in BCR 176R fly ash by the method of FI-CV-ID-ICP/MS described in this paper were $1.60{\pm}0.24$ mg/kg (k = 3.18) and the analysis results were in well agreement with the indicative value within the range of uncertainty.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 1991

Inorganic mercury in urine and airborne was determined by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Detailed sampling methods and analylical results are as follows : 1. 100~200ml of urine for each person was taken in 250 ml borosilicate bottle and $K_2S_2O_8$ (0.1g/100ml urine) was added to prevent bacterial contamination. About 1001 air of workingplace was absorbed in l0ml of absorbing solution. Urine samples and absorbing solution tubes were stored at $4^{\circ}C$. Dillution solution to prepare standard solution used deionized water (D.W) for urine and absorbing solution (A.S) for air. 2. 1n this procedure deteclion limit was 1ng/ml and mercury contents of blank reagent solution was 1~2ng/ml. 3. Calibration range was $0.02{\sim}0.1{\mu}g/ml$ and in this range r.s.d for each calibration curve in D.W and A.S and ${\pm}7.9%$ and ${\pm}3.7%$, respectively. 4. Repeatability (n=5 times, conc. $0.05{\mu}g/ml$) was ${\pm}5.8%$, in D.W. and ${\pm}4.4%$ in A.S, respectively. 5. Recovery for urine adding spiked concentration ($0.05{\mu}g/ml$) was about 90%. 6. Analytical result of samples was $1{\sim}139{\mu}g/l$ in urine and ${\sim}0.127mg/m^3$ in airborne.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.109-121
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• 1991

For the analysis of mercury in blood and urine, many literatures have been reffered and many kinds of reducing agents for mercury reduction and many acids for pretreatmr are known to be varied. $So HNO_{3}$ and $H_{2}SO_{4}$ among acids and $SnCl_{2}$ and $NaBH_{4}$ as a reducing agent being chosen for the establishment of more efficient and less erroneous analysis, and comparing the absorbance by using vapor generator, the results are followings. 1. The difference of absorbance from concentration of $HNO_{3}$ and $H_{2} SO_{4}$ was not nearly found when mercury reduced by $NaBH_{4}$ after pretreatment. But for more precise analysis, conc acid treatment need to be used. 2. Higher absorbance was shown by using conto acid treatment (P<0.005) when mercury reduced by $NaBH_{4}$ after treating acid primer. And sample which has 99.5% reliability in T-test, treated by conc $H_{2}SO_{4}$(P<0.005) was shown higher absorbance than treat by CORC $HNO_{3}$. 3. The difference of absorbance was not in the slightest in higher 0.1 w/v% $NaBH_{4}$ proved by uruskal-wallis H-Test 4. Some difference of absorbance in $SnCl_{2}$(P<0.005) having 99.5% reliability was found but there was no difference in these 20 w/v% , 25 w/v% and 30 w/v% SnCl$_{2}$ by the experiment of T-test. 5. According to these test results, organic materials were much affect the absorballce when reducing mercury by using $SnCl_{2}$ rather than by $NaBH_{4}$. For bio sample which is contained various organic substances, reduclng agent $NaBH_{4}$ is a lot more efficient to reduce the error then $SnCl_{2}$. 6. analytic method for this study is as following. 7. As the recovery test was done by this, the rate of recovery was shown form 94% to 100.7% .

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.376-379
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• 2021

Elemental mercury exposure can result in significant toxicity. Source decontamination and remediation are often required after larger elemental mercury exposures, but the details of these processes are infrequently reported. In the case described herein, a 64-year-old woman and her husband were exposed to elemental mercury in their home after the husband purchased it online for the purpose of recreational barometer calibration. After the mercury reportedly spilled during the calibration process, a vacuum cleaner was used to decontaminate the affected surface; this led to extensive mercury contamination of the home. The couple was relocated from the home while remediation occurred over the course of several weeks. Vacuum cleaning of an elemental mercury spill can lead to extensive volatilization and recirculation of mercury vapor. For smaller mercury spills, careful removal of visible mercury beads by using an eyedropper, cardboard, and masking tape is recommended. Larger spills require professional decontamination and remediation and may necessitate involvement of governmental resources. Vacuum cleaning should not be used as an initial method of decontamination after elemental mercury exposure. Careful attention to source decontamination can reduce the emotional and financial costs associated with extensive remediation after elemental mercury exposure.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.196-204
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• 2018

Objectives: To determine urinary mercury levels in e-waste workers in Southern Thailand and the airborne mercury levels in the e-waste shops where they worked, to describe the associations between urinary and airborne mercury levels, and to evaluate the prevalence of mercury exposure-related health effects among e-waste workers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing 79 workers in 25 e-waste shops who lived in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand. Information on general and occupational characteristics, personal protective equipment use, and personal hygiene was collected by questionnaire. Urine samples were collected to determine mercury levels using a cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometer mercury analyzer. Results: The e-waste workers' urinary mercury levels were $11.60{\mu}5.23{\mu}g/g$ creatinine (range, 2.00 to $26.00{\mu}g/g$ creatinine) and the mean airborne mercury levels were $17.00{\mu}0.50{\mu}g/m^3$ (range, 3.00 to $29.00{\mu}g/m^3$). The urinary and airborne mercury levels were significantly correlated (r=0.552, p<0.001). The prevalence of self-reported symptoms was 46.8% for insomnia, 36.7% for muscle atrophy, 24.1% for weakness, and 20.3% for headaches. Conclusions: Personal hygiene was found to be an important protective factor, and should therefore be stressed in educational programs. Employers should implement engineering measures to reduce urinary mercury levels and the prevalence of associated health symptoms among e-waste workers.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.3767-3770
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• 2013

Potassium methylselenite ($KSeO_2(OCH_3)$) was reduced to elemental selenium, Se(0), and then doped onto montmorillonite K 10 (MK10) clay to examine the interaction between elemental mercury (Hg(0)) vapor and Se(0) in an effort to understand the possible heterogeneous reaction of Hg(0) vapor and Se(0) solid. The clay was used as a cost-effective support material for uniform dispersion of Se(0). The Se(0)-doped MK10 showed an excellent reaction performance with Hg(0) under an inert nitrogen gas at 70 and $140^{\circ}C$ in our lab-scale fixed-bed system. However, the precursor, $KSeO_2(OCH_3)$-doped MK10 showed a negligible reaction performance with Hg(0), suggesting that the oxidation state of selenium plays a key role in the reaction of Hg(0) vapor and selenium compounds.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.E
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• pp.55-62
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• 1995

The distribution of airborne mercury was investigated from several districts of Seoul, five other major cities and two rural areas during the period April, 1994 to March, 1995. The method used in this study involves absorption of gaseous mercury on CHromosorb$^R$ A coated with gold and detection by cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy. The atmospheric mercury concentrations in Seoul ranged from N.D. to 120.17 ng m$^3$ (mean 27.01 $\pm 9.42 ng m^{-3}, N=139$), while those in rural areas ranged from 1.72 to 8.24 ng $m^{-3} (mean 4.57 \pm 3.07 ng m^{-3}, N=5$). The spatial distribution characteristics of mercury distribution in urban air were examined by comparing mercury levels as a function of the distance from the urban center. Temporal distribution trends of airborne mercury were also studied using the monthly mean mercury data of various districts in Seoul. The atmospheric mercury concentration around Mokdong wastes incinerator in Seoul were also investigated.