US EPA

2312105 

Journal Article 

Elimination of 203-Hg-methylmercury in man 

Miettinen, JK; Rahola, T; Hattula, T; Rissanen, K; Tillander, M 

1971 

Yes 

Annals of Clinical Research
ISSN: 0003-4762 

HEEP/72/01188 

3 

2 

116-122 

HEEP COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. The retention and excretion of protein-bound methylmercury (a potential hazard to the fish-eating population) were determined using 203-Hg labelled methylmercury and the whole-bound counting technique. Fifteen volunteers, 9 male and 6 female, were each given orally about 2 mu-c of methyl-203-Hg incorporated into fish muscle protein by feeding the fish 10 days earlier with labelled methylmercury proteinate. Whole-body counting of the 15 volunteers was performed in a steel room with a 43 cm Argonne-chair geometry and one 4| x 8 inches NaI(Tl)-crystal. Urine and feces were collected from all and blood samples were taken from 6 subjects. The amount of 203-Hg activity excreted in the urine was small compared with the excretion in the feces. The average amount of the administered 203-Hg-methylmercury |not absorbed|, i.e., excreted within the 1st 3-4 days in excess of the subsequent excretion rate, was about 6%. The 203-Hg activity of the red blood cells at first decreased rapidly, and after 10 days attained an exponential relationship and a mean biological half-time of 50 plus or minus 7 days (S.D. of the mean) for a group of 5 males and 1 female. The value of the biological half-time found by whole-body counting was 76 plus or minus 3 days for the whole group, the mean value for 9 males was 79 plus or minus 3 days and for 6 females 71 plus or minus 6 days.