Abstract
The effects of long-term daily intake of mercury on its urinary and fecal excretion, whole-body retention, and blood concentration in male rats were observed. The animals were exposed to mercuric chloride labeled with 203Hg via drinking water for 8 weeks (5, 50 and 500 μ m Hg). 203Hg in urine, feces and blood was quantified. The blood mercury concentration did not keep a linear relationship with the increasing dose. The percentage of the total amount of mercury intake which is excreted by the fecal route in rats exposed to 500 μ m Hg was significantly lower than in those exposed to 5 and 50 μ m. The daily dose percentage of mercury excreted in urine increased with dose size. The results show that the absorption fraction of mercury through the gastrointestinal tract (30–40%) was higher than values previously reported.
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Morcillo, M.A., Santamaria, J. Whole-body retention, and urinary and fecal excretion of mercury after subchronic oral exposure to mercuric chloride in rats. Biometals 8, 301–308 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00141603
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00141603