• 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.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.198-207
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• 1994

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental intervention of work place, metal mercury concentration in air and in urine of the total 43 workers for 3years from December 1991 to October 1993 in a fluorescent lamp manufacturing industry exposed to mercury, was measured before and after implementation of controls such as establishing exhaust ventilation at the department of exhaustion, coating the floor of work place with epostane, cleaning of the floor, improved housekeeping, and etc. The results were as follows. 1. Before the intervention(December 1991) 39.0% exceeded metal mercury Threshold Limit Value(TLV, $0.05mg/m^3$). After the intervention(October 1993) 10.0% exceeded TLV and geometric mean of mercury in air was $0.1mg/m^3$, and showed effectiveness rate of intervention to be 74.4% 2. After the intervention, geometric means of mercury concentrations in air were 0.013, $0.019mg/m^3$ and showed effectiveness rate of intervention to be 76.6%, 65.5% in A factory(right tube lamp)and at exhaustion department, respectively, A follow up survey fround statistically significant reductions in mercury concetration in air three years later. 3. Mercury concentration in urine of 11 workers(29.7%) exceeded warning level of $100{\mu}l/l$ before the intervention. After the intervention, of 3workers(8.8%) exceeded warning level and geometric mean of mercury concentration($26.5{\mu}l/l$) in urine was 2.4 times than that of before the intervention. Geometric means of mercury concentrations in urine of workers at exhaustion department, at sealing and aging department were 44.0, $77.7{\mu}l/l$, respectively and they decreased 2.3, 3.2 times than that of before the intervention.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.4 s.28
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• pp.474-479
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• 1989

This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of improvement in work environment and of segregation in a fluorescent lamp manufacturing factory. Among the total of 80 workers, 8 workers whose mercury concentration in urine reached a hazardous level ($200-299{\mu}g/l$) were moved to mercury free workplace. The follow-up examination for their mercury concentration in urine was done three times ; on May 3, 1988, September 1, 1988 and April 3, 1989. The results were as follows : 1. Mercury concentration in the air was reduced from 0.140 to 0.107 $mg/m^3$ in 4 months, and to $0.087mg/m^3$ in one year after environmental improvement in workplace. However the level still exceeded the Threshold Limit Value. 2. The geometric mean of urinary mercury concentration among 80 workers was $173.0{\mu}g/l\;(5.1{\sim}458.6{\mu}g/l$). The distribution of workers according to urinary mercury concentration showed that 9 workers (11.2%) were above the mercury poisoning level ($300{\mu}g/l$), 24 workers (30.0%) were $200-299{\mu}g/l$, 35 workers (43.8%) were $50-199{\mu}g/l$, and 12 workers (15.0%) were below 50 ${\mu}g/l$. 3. Among the 24 workers whose urinary mercury concentration was 200-299 $50-199{\mu}g/l$, 8 were able to be followed up. Their mean urinary mercury concentration before segregation was $244.9{\mu}g/l$, but decreased to $151.4{\mu}g/l$ in four months, $128.8{\mu}g/l$ in six months, and $46.8{\mu}g/l$ in one year after segregation.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.131-140
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• 1993

This study was conducted to examine the levels of mercury in tissue of Carassius carassius collected at five areas(Andong, Sangju, Waekwan, Gangjung and Gaejin) in Nakdong river from February to March, 1993. The contents of total and organic mercury were determined by methods of Gold amalgam and Selective atomic absorption with mercury analyzer(Model SP-3A). The total mercury contents in muscle were $0.148{\pm}0.0646$ ppm by the Gold amalgam, and $0.113{\pm}0.0345$ ppm by the Selective atomic absorption, but in all parts of Carassius carassius were $0.342{\pm}0.4235$ ppm and $0.240{\pm}0.2974$ ppm respectively. These two methods were extremely high correlated(r=0.9812, p<0.001). The mean value of total and organic mercury by the two methods was high in the order of bone>fin>muscle, respectively, and the proportion of organic mercury to the total was 69.0%. Mean value of total and organic mercury in the muscle was the highest at Wakeman located in middle basin of Nakdong river, and in the bone and fin was the highest at Andong dam located in upper basin. According to sizes and parts of fish, the concentration of mercury was the highest in the muscle of 15-19 cm group, the highest in the bone of 10-14 cm group and in the fin of 20-24 cm group.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.168-173
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• 1982

The present study was carried to observe the total mercury contents in fresh-water fishes which were collected from 24 streams in the South-East area, Korea. These total mercury contents were determined by quartz tube combustion gold amalgamation method. The value of total mercury contents in collected fresh-water fishes ranged from 0.02ppm to 0.12ppm and the mean value were 0.07ppm. The total value of mercury contents differed with the fish species showing 0.09ppm in Carassius auratus, 0.10ppm in Coilia ectenes, 0.11ppm in Moroca lagowskii and Squalidus majime and 0.12ppm in Cobitis taenia which were highly more than the mean value of collected fishes. The mean value of the total mercury contents in the Yeong Il Gun (0.09PPm), Gim Hae Gun (0.08ppm) and Meong Ju Gun (0.08ppm) were highly detected than those of other surveyed areas.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 2018

Objectives: Based on the amount of amalgam, the duration of exposure, and the water pH, this study aims to investigate the change patterns in the mercury concentrations in water after amalgams have been introduced into sewage water. It is expected that the study results will be useful in improving the system for regulating the amount of mercury that is introduced into the environment. Methods: During the study, a glass test-tube with a cap was washed and disinfected using the glass laboratory device washing method. Then, 1, 2, 3, and 4 tabs were placed into a 10 mL pH 4 solution and 10 mL pH 7 distilled water. Each specimen was prepared in duplicate. The mean of the two mercury concentrations was used as the representative value, and the mercury concentration was measured using a mercury measurement device (DMA-80, Milestone, Italy) a total of eight times at one-week intervals. Results: The results show that the lower was the pH, the higher was the amount of amalgam. Also the longer was the duration, the more significant was the increase of mercury concentration in the water. Conclusions: Dental clinics are collected separately from dental clinics that used them. Given this, dental clinics in Korea must have the necessary facilities to separately collect mercury at their level. In addition, proper disposal systems and social attention to the proper management of dental wastes are required to prevent environmental pollution from mercury.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.202-211
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• 2011

In this study the seasonal and spatial pattern of mercury (Hg) concentrations in multimedia environments were investigated in Lake So-Yang. Total mercury (TM) in water column greatly enhanced as turbidity and particulate organic carbon (POC) increased due to the severe runoff, suggesting that most of Hg existed as particulate Hg in Lake Soyang. We also collected 22 species of fish in Lake Soyang and Han River, and the average total mercury in fish was 0.073 ppm, lower than both Korean (0.5 ppm) and EPA criteria (0.3 ppm). However when considering the amount of fish intake for Korean the Hg criterion in fish must be more stringent than current value, and the advisory for fish consumption should be made. Hg in fish considerably varied with sampling sites, having the highest in the upper region (Yang-gu) and the lowest in downstream (Han River). This spatial variation was possibly derived by "bloom dilution" associated with high phosphorus loading or elevated DOC concentrations, or both. Total mercury in sediment varied from 69.9 to $98.3{\mu}g/kg$, which was relatively lower than those measured in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota in USA ($102{\sim}364{\mu}g/kg$).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.349-357
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• 2015

Objectives: The 2007 Korea National Survey for Environmental Pollutants in the Human Body found the highest blood mercury levels nationwide among residents in Seoksan-ri, Goro-myeon, Gunwi-gun, Gyeonsangbuk-do. With the aim to reduce the blood mercury levels of residents in this region, we conducted this study to identify the association between mercury exposure levels and shark meat consumption. Methods: This survey was conducted with 118 participants in Seoksan-ri before the Chuseok festival and 113 residents were added afterwards. Information on participants was collected via questionnaires. Total mercury concentrations in biological samples were measured using a mercury analyzer with the gold-amalgam collection method. Results: To identify this, we conducted mercury exposure level analysis before and after the Chuseok festival and found that blood and urinary mercury levels after Chuseok (GM of $6.9{\mu}g/L$ in blood and $1.68{\mu}g/g$_cr in urine) were higher than those before (GM of $5.29{\mu}g/L$ in blood and $1.44{\mu}g/g$_cr in urine). This area maintains a custom of using shark meat as one of the ancestral rite foods, and the performance of such rites and shark meat consumption have been identified as main sources of mercury exposure. Other than this, smoking, dental amalgam treatment and residential period in the area also contributed to an increase in mercury exposure levels. On the other hand, recent consumption of oriental medicine and vaccination did not have a significant influence on mercury levels. Conclusion: The results were attributed to the local custom of consuming shark meat with high mercury concentrations during rituals taking place during the festival and ancestral rites. Given that the blood mercury levels in 23.2% of the residents exceeded the HBM II values recommended by the German Commission on Human Biological Monitoring, it is suggested that further appropriate actions and follow-up measures be taken to reduce the mercury exposure levels of the residents that exceeded the reference values.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.103-113
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• 1988

This experiment was performed to study the sequential accumulation of mercury in selected tissues of gold fish (Carassius auratus) exposed to 2, 6, 30, 120 and 300 $\mu$g Hg/1 as HgCl$_2$. In order to prepare treatment groups suitable for the present study, one control and five experimental groups, which were composed of I (2 $\mu$g/l), II (6$\mu$g/l), III (30$\mu$g/l), IV (120$\mu$g/l), V (300 $\mu$g/l), were used in 180 liter glass aquaria. The experiment was started by transfering 20 fish of average total length 140 $\pm$ 20 mm to each of the six tanks and allowing the uptake to take place for 12 weeks period. Fish were killed after time periods of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, and samples were disected by five parts gill, kidney liver, muscle and egg. The summarized results were as follows: 1. In control group, low concentrations of mercury(range 0.01-0.11 $\mu$g/g)were determined in the all selected tissues. 2. In experimental group, the average levels of mercury residues in the gill, kidney, liver muscle and egg were 3.61-189.54 $\mu$g/g, 13.91-182.58 $\mu$g/g, 8.56-66.49 $\mu$g/g, 0.30-20.33 $\mu$g/g, and 1.63-23.76$\mu$g/g, respectively. 3. The mercury residues in selected tissues of the experimental group were generally 230-9100 times higher than those of the control group. 4. The amounts of methylmercury per total mercury in the muscle after 12 weeks were 0.10/0.30 $\mu$g/g(33.33%) in the I group, 0.14/1.18$\mu$g/g(11.86%) in the II group, 0.25/5.76 $\mu$g/g(4.34%) in the III group, 0.39/11.48$\mu$g/g(3.40%) in the IV group and 0.40/20.33 $\mu$g/g(1.97%) in the V group.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.127-139
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• 1991

Four group(Control I II, Treatment I II ) of Rats, each consisting of 10 rats, were studied Methylmercury Chloride MMc was orally given to Sprague-Dawley male at does of 10mg/kg (5 mg/kg $\cdot$ day), 10mg/kg after two weeks. This study was designed to investigate the distribution, the difference and the ratio of organic mercury, total mercury, zinc and copper in tissue, in each others group. The result were as follows: 1. There was no significantly difference in the body weight between two groups( p > 0.05). 2. There was significantly difference in the distribution of zinc concentration in liver, kidndey, blood, spleen between control I and treatment I, and in blood, spleen between control II and treatment II (P < 0.05). 3. There was significantly difference in the distribution of copper concentration in kidney, blood between control I and treatment I, and in spleen brain between control II and treatment II. 4. The ratio of zinc concentration in treatment/control was high at spleen. 5. The ratio of methylmercury/totalmercury was high at spleen.