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Urinary selenium excretion in workers with low exposure to mercury vapour
Author(s) -
Ellingsen Dag G.,
Nordhagen Hans P.,
Thomassen Yngvar
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of applied toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.784
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1099-1263
pISSN - 0260-437X
DOI - 10.1002/jat.2550150108
Subject(s) - mercury (programming language) , selenium , excretion , urinary system , environmental chemistry , occupational exposure , mercury poisoning , toxicology , chemistry , urine , medicine , physiology , toxicity , environmental health , biology , organic chemistry , computer science , programming language
Urinary selenium excretion was studied in 21 mercury vapour (Hg°)‐exposed workers involved in the demolition of a chloralkali plant. The subjects had no known previous occupational exposure to mercury. Their mean pre‐exposure urinary mercury concentration, determined on average 1.2 days prior to the exposure, was 0.8 nmol mmol −1 creatinine (range 0.3–1.9). Their last mean urinary mercury concentration, determined on average after 51.4 days (range 19–103) of exposure, was 4.8 nmol mmol −1 creatinine (range 1.2–10.0). The exposure ceased on average 4.1 days after the last determined urinary mercury concentration. The corresponding concentrations of urinary selenium decreased from an average of 39.1 nmol mmol −1 creatinine (range 13.9–89.5) to 29.0 nmol mmol −1 creatinine (range 10.1–52.9) ( P = 0.002). This finding may indicate that even a low to moderate work‐related exposure to Hg° may reduce the urinary selenium concentration in humans in a manner that is not yet fully known.