Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Methylmercury and Thimerosal

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Toxic Effects of Mercury

  • 1370 Accesses

Abstract

Mercury is a naturally occurring element found in the Earth’s crust, air, soil, and water. Since the Earth’s formation, volcanic eruptions, weathering of rocks, and burning coal have caused mercury to be released into the environment. Once released, certain types of bacteria in the environment can change mercury into methylmercury. Methylmercury makes its way through the food chain in fish, animals, and humans. At high levels, it can be toxic to people.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • ATSDR (1999) Toxicological profile for mercury. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service, Atlanta

    Google Scholar 

  • Axton JMH (1972) Six cases of poisoning after a parenteral organic mercurial compound (merthiolate). Postgrad Med J 48:417–421

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bakir F, Damluji SF, Amin-Zaki L, Murtadha M, Khalidi A, Al-Rawi NY, Tikriti S, Dhahir HI, Clarkson TW, Smith JC, Doherty RA (1973) Methyl mercury poisoning in Iraq. Science 181:230–241

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ball LK, Ball R, Pratt RD (2001) An assessment of thimerosal use in childhood vaccines. Pediatrics 107(5):1147–1154

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard S, Enayati A, Redwood L, Roger H, Binstock T (2001) Autism: a novel form of mercury poisoning. Med Hypotheses 56:462–471

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernier RH, Frank JA, Nolan TF (1981) Abscesses complicating DTP vaccination. Am J Dis Child 135:826–828

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blair AMJN, Clark B, Clarke AJ, Wood P (1975) Tissue concentrations of mercury after chronic dosing of squirrel monkeys with thimerosal. Toxicology 3:171–176

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1999) Notice to readers: thimerosal in vaccines: a joint statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health Service. Morb Mort Wkly Rep 48:563–565

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox NH, Forsyth A (1988) Thimerosal allergy and vaccination reactions. Contact Dermatitis 18:229–233

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Cox C, Axtell C, Shamlaye C, Sloan-Reeves J, Cernichiari E, Needham L, Choi A, Wang Y, Berlin M, Clarkson TW (1998) Effects of prenatal and postnatal methylmercury exposure from fish consumption on neurodevelopment: outcomes at 66 months of age in the Seychelles child development study. JAMA 280:701–707

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fagan DG, Pritchard JS, Clarkson TW, Greenwood MR (1977) Organ mercury levels in infants with omphaloceles treated with organic mercurial antiseptic. Arch Dis Child 52:962–964

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Federal Register, 19 Jan 1979, 44, 3990

    Google Scholar 

  • Federal Register, 19 Nov 1999, 64:63323–63324

    Google Scholar 

  • Goncalo M, Figueiredo A, Goncalo S (1996) Hypersensitivity to thimerosal: the sensitivity moiety. Contact Dermatitis 34:201–203

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grabenstein JD (1996) Immunologic necessities: diluents, adjuvants, and excipients. Hosp Pharm 31:1387–1401

    Google Scholar 

  • Grandjean P, Weihe P, White RF, Debes F, Araki S, Yokoyama K, Murata K, Sorensen N, Dahl R, Jorgensen PL (1997) Cognitive deficit in 7-year-old children with prenatal exposure to methylmercury. Neurotoxicol Teratol 19:417–428

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harada M (1995) Minamata disease: methylmercury poisoning in Japan caused by environmental pollution. Crit Rev Toxicol 25:1–24

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • IOM (Institute of Medicine) (2001) Thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders. Washington, DC: National Academy Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowell HJ, Burgess S, Shenoy S, Peters M, Howard TK (1996) Mercury poisoning associated with hepatitis B immunoglobulin. Lancet 347:480

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Magos L, Brown AW, Sparrow S, Bailey E, Snowden RT, Skipp WR (1985) The comparative toxicology of ethyl- and methylmercury. Arch Toxicol 57:260–267

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mahaffey KR (1999) Methylmercury: a new look at the risks. Public Health Rep 114:397–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahaffey KR, Rice G, et al (1997) An assessment of exposure to mercury in the United States: mercury study report to congress. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protections Agency. Document EPA-452/R097-006

    Google Scholar 

  • Matheson DS, Clarkson TW, Gelfand EW (1980) Mercury toxicity (acrodynia) induced by long-term injection of gammaglobulin. J Pediatr 97:153–155

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pfab R, Muckter H, Roider G, Zilker T (1996) Clinical course of severe poisoning with thiomersal. Clin Toxicol 34:453–460

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pichichero ME et al (2002) Lancet 360:1737–1741

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Powell HM, Jamieson WA (1931) Merthiolate as a germicide. Am J Hyg 13:296–310

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rohyans J, Walson PD, Wood GA, MacDonald WA (1994) Mercury toxicity following merthiolate ear irrigations. J Pediatr 104:311–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon PA, Chen RT, Elliot JA, Schwartz B (1993) Outbreak of pyogenic abscesses after diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccine. Pediatr Infect Dis J 12:368–371

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Pharmacopeia 24 (2001) Rockville: U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (1996) Food and Agriculture Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency Expert Group. Trace elements in human nutrition and health. WHO, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson GS (1967) The hazards of immunization. The Athlone Press, New York, pp 75–84

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Brain Research Centre (IBRC) Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, UP, India

    Shabnum Nabi

Authors
  1. Shabnum Nabi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer India

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Nabi, S. (2014). Methylmercury and Thimerosal. In: Toxic Effects of Mercury. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1922-4_28

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation