• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.8-14
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• 2000

This paper was conducted to examine the level of total and organic mercury in the scalp hair by the consumption pattern of fish. The scalp hair samples were collected from the occipital part of 101 in coastal, 106 in rural. The total and organic mercury contents of adult scalp hair increased with age up to the forties and slightly decreased in the fifties. (p<0.01) The mercury contents of the persons who were favorite dishes of fish were most high, and who prefer fish were 2 times higher than those of the persons who prefer vegetables and broiled. The contents of total and organic mercury in scalp hair showed a increasing tendency with the intake frequency of raw and cooked fish. (p<0.01) The total and organic mercury contents in the raw fishes were over 2 times higher than those in the boiled fishes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.335-343
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• 2012

Mercury is emitted to the atmosphere from various natural and anthropogenic sources, and degrades with difficulty in the environment. Mercury exists as various species, mainly elemental ($Hg^0$) and divalent ($Hg^{2+}$) mercury depending on its oxidation states in air and water. Mercury emitted to the atmosphere can be deposited into aqueous environments by wet and dry depositions, and some can be re-emitted into the atmosphere. The deposited mercury species, mainly $Hg^{2+}$, can react with various organic compounds in water and sediment by biotic reactions mediated by sulfur-reducing bacteria, and abiotic reactions mediated by sunlight photolysis, resulting in conversion into organic mercury such as methylmercury (MeHg). MeHg can be bioaccumulated through the food web in the ecosystem, finally exposing humans who consume fish. For a better understanding of how humans are exposed to mercury in the environment, this review paper summarizes the mechanisms of emission, fate and transport, speciation chemistry, bioaccumulation, levels of contamination in environmental media, and finally exposure assessment of humans.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.206-208
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• 2002

Methylmercury (MeHg; $CH_{3}HgCl$) is, second only to cadmium as being, the most toxic on the earth. Inorganic mercury from various waste sources can be easily methylated by bacteria in water and subsequently ingested by fishes and then highly accumulated in human. Although toxicity from mercury exposure occurs with both organic and inorganic forms, organic mercury is more potently toxic to central nervous system. Minamata disease is an example of organic mercury toxicity. (omitted)

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.392-398
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• 1997

A method of selective determination of inorganic and organic mercury compounds has been described. The $CHCl_3$ solution of a high molecular quaternary alkylammonium salt, Aliquat 336 was used for the simultaneous preconcentration of both inorganic, $Hg^{2+}$ as its thiocyanate complex, and organic mercury compounds, $CH_3HgCl$ and $C_2H_3O_2$ $HgC_6H_5$ by extraction from their aqueous solution. Selective separation of the inorganic mercury from the extract was followed by stripping with 3 M $HClO_4 $ solution for the subsequent determination by CVAAS. Organic mercury was also determined by CVAAS after removal of $CHCl_3solvent$ from the extract and decomposition of the residue with 4% $KMnO_4 $-1 MH_2$S0_4$. The mixtures of inorganic and organic mercury compounds contained 1.0 $\mug$ as Hg in 50 mL of sample solution(0.02 ${\mu}gHg/mL$) were analysed within ${\pm}6%$ by absolute errors.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2019

The effects of UV wavelength and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on the formation of dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) were investigated in a controlled environment. To remove any other influences than UV wavelength and DOC, purified water was used as the working solution. DGM was instantly produced with irradiation of all UV lights even without DOC; whereas, there was no noticeable increase of DGM during irradiation of visible light. The amount of formed DGM increased as the DOC concentration increased even in dark conditions; however, UV-B irradiation significantly promoted DGM production with DOC present. The rate constants of reduction ranged from $1.4{\times}10^{-6}s^{-1}$ to $3.5{\times}10^{-5}s^{-1}$, with the lower values occurring under the dark condition without DOC and the higher values resulting under UV-B irradiation and high DOC concentration. However, DGM production was not linearly correlated with the DOC concentration at higher range of DOC in this study. Future studies should investigate the effects of DOC concentration on mercury (Hg) reduction over the broad range of DOC concentrations with different DOC structures and with other influencing parameters.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.1 s.45
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• pp.44-58
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• 1994

This study was conducted to examine the levels of total and organic mercury in the scalp hair of the elementary school children and adults, and their relationship with the consumption pattern of fishes and shellfishes. The scalp hair samples were collected from the occipital part of 115 children and 131 adults in costal, urban and rural areas of Kyungpook province from June to August 1991. The mercury content was analysed by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer (model IL. 555) with atomic vapor accessory (model IL. 440). The total and organic mercury contents of hair were significantly higher (p<0.01) among the children who prefer fish and/or shellfish (7.728 ppm, 6.610 ppm), and canned fish and/or fish pastes (6.969 ppm, 5.885 ppm) than those who prefer meat (4.822 ppm, 3.905 ppm) and vegetables (3.974 ppm, 3.224 ppm). The children who prefer to eat the canned fish without cooking showed a higher mercury content than the children who prefer to eat it as stew or mixed with vegetables (p<0.01). There was a dose-response relationship between the intake frequency of canned fish, raw fish and cooked fish and the content of total and organic mercury of hair, the children who eat fish almost everyday showed 2 times higher than those who eat rarely (p<0.01). The mercury content in the hair of the children who eat raw fish was significantly higher than that of the children who eat boiled or broiled fish (p<0.01). The total and organic mercury contents of adult scalp hair increased with age up to the forties and slightly decreased in the fifties. The mercury contents of those who were engaged in the fishery and raw fish restaurant were 2 times higher than those of the farmers. The mercury content of the persons who were favorite dishes of fish and shellfish were most high, and who prefer raw fish were 2 times higher than those of the persons who prefer vegetables and broiled fish. The contents of total and organic mercury in adult scalp hair showed also a increasing tendency with the intake frequency of raw and cooked fish.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.551-561
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• 1998

The autometallographic method was used to demonstrate the localization of mercury deposits in spleen of mouse. The mercury deposits were identified with the light and electron mocroscope. Mice were treated with methylmercuric chloride in the drinking water (demineralized water) for 40 days. Control and mercury treated groups showed no significant differences in mean body weight and spleen weight per one mouse. Mercury grains were appeared in the germinal center of white pulp consist of a preponderancing lymphocytes, not in red pulp and capsule. At the ultrastructural level, mercury deposits were restricted to lysosomes of macrophage and lymphocyte. Specially, volume in lysosomes of the macrophage was increased. These results suggest that mercury localization in lysosomes is associated with the change of immune activity.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.187-192
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• 2008

To clerify the protective effect of omega-3 of polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the cytotoxicity induced by organic mercury in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. The measurement of cell viability on ogranic mercury wad done by XTT assay after NIH3T3 fibroblasts were cultured with various concentrations of methyl mercuric chloride (MMC). And also, the effect of DHA on the MMC-mediated cytotoxicity was examined by cell viability, and antioxidant effect of DHA was also assessed by superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and the lipid peroxidation activity in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. In this study, MMC decreased cell viability and $XTT_{50}$ value was determined at $50{\mu}M$ of MMC in these culture. In the effect of DHA against the cytotoxicity induced by MMC, DHA significantly increased the cell viability damaged by MMC in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. And also, DHA showed the antioxidant effect by showing the increase of SOD-like activity and the decrease of lipid peroxidation activity. From these results, it is suggested that organic mercury such as MMC has highly toxic effect on cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts, and also, omega-3 of polyunsaturated fatty acid, DHA showed the protection on MMC-induced cytotoxicity and antioxidant effect.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.344-352
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• 2012

Mercury is a toxic and non-essential metal in the human body. Mercury is ubiquitously distributed in the environment, present in natural products, and exists extensively in items encountered in daily life. There are three forms of mercury, i.e., elemental (or metallic) mercury, inorganic mercury compounds, and organic mercury compounds. This review examines the toxicity of elemental mercury and inorganic mercury compounds. Inorganic mercury compounds are water soluble with a bioavailability of 7% to 15% after ingestion; they are also irritants and cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Upon entering the body, inorganic mercury compounds are accumulated mainly in the kidneys and produce kidney damage. In contrast, human exposure to elemental mercury is mainly by inhalation, followed by rapid absorption and distribution in all major organs. Elemental mercury from ingestion is poorly absorbed with a bioavailability of less than 0.01%. The primary target organs of elemental mercury are the brain and kidney. Elemental mercury is lipid soluble and can cross the blood-brain barrier, while inorganic mercury compounds are not lipid soluble, rendering them unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. Elemental mercury may also enter the brain from the nasal cavity through the olfactory pathway. The blood mercury is a useful biomarker after short-term and high-level exposure, whereas the urine mercury is the ideal biomarker for long-term exposure to both elemental and inorganic mercury, and also as a good indicator of body burden. This review discusses the common sources of mercury exposure, skin lightening products containing mercury and mercury release from dental amalgam filling, two issues that happen in daily life, bear significant public health importance, and yet undergo extensive debate on their safety.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.217-221
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• 1984

In order to estimate interfering effects of mercury and lead on biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), BOD in 18 effluent samples were measured under three different concentrations of mercury and lead. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Biochemical oxygen demand(BOD) was decreased under the presence of mercury and lead, with parallel correlation of mercury concentration. 2. High correlations were noted between original BOD concentration and decreasing amount of BOD when concentrations of mercury or lead were increased. 3. When the lead concentration was high, the close correlation was observed between total organic carbon(TOC) and decreasing amount of BOD. 4. There was a negative correlation between TOC/BOD ratio and decreasing amount of BOD when the mercury concentrations were high.