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The chemical forms of mercury in human hair: a study using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

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Abstract

Human hair is frequently used as a bioindicator of mercury exposure. We have used X-ray absorption spectroscopy to examine the chemical forms of mercury in human hair samples taken from individuals with high fish consumption and concomitant exposure to methylmercury. The mercury is found to be predominantly methylmercury–cysteine or closely related species, comprising approximately 80% of the total mercury, with the remainder an inorganic thiolate-coordinated mercuric species. No appreciable role was found for selenium in coordinating mercury in hair.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, by Canada Research Chair awards (G.N.G. and I.J.P.), by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada), and by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Environmental Health Sciences Center Grant P30-ES01247). Portions of this work were also carried out at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, which is funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The Structural Molecular Biology program is funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Biological and Environmental Sciences and by the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources, Biomedical Technology Program. We thank members of the George/Pickering research group for contributions to data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 114 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada

    Graham N. George, Satya P. Singh & Ingrid J. Pickering

  2. Department of Neurology and Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Gary J. Myers

  3. Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Gene E. Watson

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  1. Graham N. George
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  2. Satya P. Singh
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  5. Ingrid J. Pickering
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Correspondence to Graham N. George.

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George, G.N., Singh, S.P., Myers, G.J. et al. The chemical forms of mercury in human hair: a study using X-ray absorption spectroscopy. J Biol Inorg Chem 15, 709–715 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-010-0638-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-010-0638-x

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