TY - JOUR PY - 2016// TI - Inhalational mercury toxicity from artisanal gold extraction reported to the Oregon poison center, 2002-2015 JO - Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) A1 - Noble, Matthew J. A1 - Decker, Stewart L. A1 - Zane Horowitz, B. SP - 847 EP - 851 VL - 54 IS - 9 N2 - CONTEXT: Mercury exposure has been described among small-scale gold mining communities in developing countries, but reports of inhalational mercury toxicity among home gold extractors in the US remain uncommon.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify inhalational mercury exposures and toxicity among artisanal gold extractors.

METHODS: This is an observational case series of a single Poison Center database from 2002-2015. We review all cases of "mercury" or "mercury inhalation" exposures, with detailed description of a recent representative case.

RESULTS: Nine cases were reported, with patients' ages ranging 32-81 years. Eight (89%) patients were male. Seven of eight (88%) patients with acute exposures reported pulmonary symptoms consistent with mercury vapor inhalation such as dyspnea and cough; two (29%) patients had severe toxicity requiring intubation. Four of six (67%) patients had markedly elevated whole blood mercury concentrations up to 346 mcg/L; each received a different chelation regimen. Four (44%) patients used methamphetamines at the time of their exposure. The case report describes a patient with elevated mercury concentrations who required intubation for hypoxic respiratory failure. He received chelation therapy based on chelator availability, with decreasing 24-hour urine mercury concentrations. The house where he was exposed remains uninhabitable from elevated ambient mercury vapor concentrations.

CONCLUSION: Artisanal gold extraction may be associated with inhalational mercury toxicity, including elevated blood mercury concentrations and acute hypoxic lung injury requiring intubation.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1556-3650 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2016.1199029 ID - ref1 ER -