Comparison of Contents of Inorganic and Organic Mercury Between the Extract With Hydrochloric Acid and the Digested Specimens by Sodium Hydroxide in Human Hair

Selective enhancement of urinary organic mercury excretion by D-penicillamine

“…Mercury content in head hair was the highest among these samples, as Skerfving (1974) reported in Swedes consuming contaminated fish. The amount of organic mercury was 54 to 65% of total mercury, similar to the results reported by Miyama, Asakura, Takemoto, and Suzuki (1973) on the hair of workers exposed to mercury vapour. The level of inorganic mercury in the present case was rather higher than that (30-70 ,ug/g) of mercury workers and that (09-1 5 ,ug/g) of islanders of South Japan (Miyama et al, 1973).…”

“…The amount of organic mercury was 54 to 65% of total mercury, similar to the results reported by Miyama, Asakura, Takemoto, and Suzuki (1973) on the hair of workers exposed to mercury vapour. The level of inorganic mercury in the present case was rather higher than that (30-70 ,ug/g) of mercury workers and that (09-1 5 ,ug/g) of islanders of South Japan (Miyama et al, 1973). The mercury workers were living in Tokyo and exposed to an atmospheric concentration of mercury vapour around 01 mg/m3; their fish intake was not reported but was presumably in the usual range of city-dwellers.…”

Mercury in human hair: A comparative study by using two different methods of atomic absorption and neutron activation analysis.

“…In comparison of the organic mercury content estimated by Magos's method to the HCl-extractable mercury, the correlation coefficient is slightly smaller than in the case of comparison of figures for total mercury content obtained by the two different methods. But, when the figures obtained in a previous report by Miyama et al (1973) which covered much broader range of total mercury content, are added to the figures obtained in this report for the calculation of correlation coefficient, it becomes 0.920. Considering the extreme sensitivity of the atomic absorption spectrometry, this correlation coefficient can be said to show a satisfactory result.…”

“…This method is applicable to human hair after digestion in a solution of 45% NaOH, and it enabled us to measure the content of inorganic and organic mercury in hair selectively by relatively simple procedures instead of use of the gas-chromato graphic technique (Kitamura et al 1966;Westoo 1968). Miyama et al (1973) compared the results obtained by Magos's method with those obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry on the HCl-extract of hair, and found a good coincidence between the organic mercury content by Magos's method and the value on the 110-extract. In this report, the present authors aimed to repeat the comparison as in the report by Miyama et al (1973), and to compare additively the neutron activation method with Magos's method.…”

“…Miyama et al (1973) compared the results obtained by Magos's method with those obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry on the HCl-extract of hair, and found a good coincidence between the organic mercury content by Magos's method and the value on the 110-extract. In this report, the present authors aimed to repeat the comparison as in the report by Miyama et al (1973), and to compare additively the neutron activation method with Magos's method.…”