Percutaneous absorption of mercury vapor by rats.

With respect to occupational exposure situations, more information is needed to assess the importance of the skin absorption route for elemental mercury. The purpose of the experiments reported here is to prove the suitability of the rat tail as a model of Hg skin uptake. A vapor generation system used with a tail-only exposure system is described and first results are reported. An Hg uptake via the rat tail skin could be confirmed. The Hg uptake rate cannot be estimated quantitatively by these experiments.

[Animal experiments and clinical observations on poisoning with metallic mercury]. / Tierexperimentelle und klinische Beobachtungen zur Intoxikation durch metallisches Quecksilber.

Albino rats of an own culture strain exposed to mercury were investigated electroneurographically. A disturbance of the motor nerve conduction of the ischiadic and the tibial nerve could not be established after one year. Workers exposed to mercury of two chemical plants of the district of Halle were examined neurologically and electrophysiologically. The motor nerve conduction was measured on eight peripheral nerves. The measuring values above all deviate from the normal value up to 10% more infrequently up to 20% or more.

[Hg concentrations in blood and organs of the rat following Hg contamination of the skin]. / Hg-Konzentrationen in Blut und Organen von Ratten nach langfristiger Hg-Kontamination der Haut.

Metallic mercury was applied as ointment to the skin of rats. The mercury concentrations recorded from blood, kidneys, and urine suggested that metallic mercury was properly absorbed through the skin.

[Uptake of lead, cadmium and mercury by cultivated mushrooms]. / Zur Blei-, Cadmium- und Quecksilber-Aufnahme in Kulturchampignons.

It is reported of the uptake of lead, cadmium and mercury by cultivated mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) from lead, cadmium and mercury-containing substrates. Cd and Hg were observed to accumulate significantly via the mycelium, whereas Pb accumulated scarely, even if the Pb contents in the substrate were high. High lead concentrations in wild mushrooms, therefore, are likely to be mainly due to emissions; whereas, with Cd and Hg, uptake from the soil must also be considered.