• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.482-492
• /
• 2012

Objectives: The main purpose of this study is to produce background data which can be compared with data on vulnerable areas such as industrial complexes in Ulsan, SihwaBanwol, Gwangyang, Yeosu, Pohang, Cheongju and Daesan in Korea. Methods: This study was performed on 1,007 local residents in Gangneung using personal questionnaires and medical check-up. Environmental pollutants including heavy metals in blood and urine were analyzed and the results are as follows. Results: According to the results of medical check-up, 705 subjects were "Normal (A and B)", 232 subjects were "Disease doubtful (R1)" and 70 subjects were "High blood pressure or Diabetes doubtful (R2)". Regarding geometric mean concentration, blood lead was 1.57 ${\mu}g/dL$, urine cadmium was 0.82 ${\mu}g/g-cr$, urine mercury was 0.98 ${\mu}g/g-cr$ and urine arsenic was 15.78 ${\mu}g/g-cr$. In the analysis of 11 kinds of VOCs in blood, vinyl chloride, 1,3-butadiene and dichloroethylene were not detected, while the detection rate of other chemicals was above 70% except chloroform(49.7%) and trichloroethylene(19.0%). In analysis of 16 kinds of PAHs in blood, 10 kinds showed more than 80% in detection rate. Also, detection rate of 4 kinds of PCBs in blood ranged 52 to 78%. Conclusions: Compared with industrial compelxes, the concentration of blood lead was lower, while urine cadmium and mercury levels were similar. Also, urine arsenic ranged at a significant level. Further study is required to find the cause of regional differences in concentrations of environmental pollutants.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.185-189
• /
• 1973

Dental amalgam in the clinic practice of dentistry is one of the most important materials. Mercury, one of the component of this alloy, is emitted in the form of vapor after filling as long as 5 days Silver particles penetrate into the dentine deeply along the tubles underneath cavity floor. To determine the permeability of mercury in the teeth following experiments were performed. Class 5 cavities total 40 from 10 dogs were prepared on upper and lower canines and amalgam alloys which contain about 10uCi of radioactive mercury were inserted. The animals were sacrificed 7 days after the experiments and the teeth were decalcified, sectioned and autoradiographed by means of emulsion and stained by H & E. Following are the results obtained from this experiments. 1. Blackened silver grains were found along the dentinal tubules underneath the cavity floor. Beyond the border of dentine and pulp chamber grains were seen in odontoblastic layer (Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4) 2. Underneath the odontoblastic layer, the pulp tissue showed almost normal appearance except slight dilatation of blood vessel.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.54 no.11
• /
• pp.463-469
• /
• 2011

Purpose: To validate the Dinamap ProCare 200 blood pressure (BP) monitor against a mercury sphygmomanometer in children 7 to 18 years old in accordance with the 2010 International Protocol of European Society of Hypertension (ESH-IP2) and the British Hypertension Society (BHS) protocol. Methods: Forty-five children were recruited for the study. A validation procedure was performed following the protocol based on the ESH-IP2 and BHS protocols for children and adolescents. Each subject underwent 7 sequential BP measurements alternatively with a mercury sphygmomanometer and the test device by trained nurses. The results were analyzed according to the validation criteria of ESH-IP2. Results: The mean (${\pm}SD$) difference in the absolute BP values between test device and mercury sphygmomanometer readings was $1.85{\pm}1.65$ mmHg for systolic BP (SBP) and $4.41{\pm}3.53$ mmHg for diastolic BP (DBP). These results fulfilled the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation criterion of a mean${\pm}$SD below $5{\pm}8$ mmHg for both SBP and DBP. The percentages of test device-observer mercury sphygmomanometer BP differences within 5, 10, and 15 mmHg were 96%, 100%, and 100% for SBP, and 69%, 92%, and 100% for DBP, respectively, in the part 1 analysis; both SBP and DBP passed the part 1 criteria. In the part 2 analysis, SBP passed the criteria but DBP failed. Conclusion: Although the Dinamap ProCare 200 BP monitor failed an adapted ESH-IP2, SBP passed. When comparing BP readings measured by oscillometers and mercury sphygmomanometers, one has to consider the differences between them, particularly in DBP, because DBP can be underestimated.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.192-200
• /
• 2022

The association between heavy metals in the blood and obesity has been examined in many studies. However, inconsistencies have been observed in the results from these studies. The present study was conducted using data from 119,181 participants of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) for 11 years in 2005 and between 2008 and 2017. The subjects with missing heavy metal blood tests, health interview data, and health examination data were excluded from the study. The study population comprised 1,844 individuals (972 men, 872 women) who were eligible for inclusion. It was found that obesity and abdominal obesity were associated with an increase in both blood mercury (P<0.001) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (P<0.001). After adjusting the confounding factors, those with concurrent high levels of ALT and the highest tertile of mercury showed an increased risk of obesity (odds ratio 4.46, 95%, confidence interval 2.23~8.90, P<0.001) as well as abdominal obesity (odds ratio 5.36, 95%, confidence interval 2.57~11.17, P<0.001). The interrelationship of mercury and ALT with the parameters of body mass index (P for interaction=0.009) and waist circumference (P for interaction=0.012), respectively, have been observed to be significant, suggesting that the reciprocal relationship could contribute to obesity and abdominal obesity.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.50 no.6
• /
• pp.377-385
• /
• 2017

Objectives: Although mercury (Hg) exposure is known to be neurotoxic in humans, its effects on liver function have been less often reported. The aim of this study was to investigate whether total Hg exposure in Korean adults was associated with elevated serum levels of the liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Methods: We repeatedly examined the levels of total Hg and liver enzymes in the blood of 508 adults during 2010-2011 and 2014-2015. Cross-sectional associations between levels of blood Hg and liver enzymes were analyzed using a generalized linear model, and nonlinear relationships were analyzed using a generalized additive mixed model. Generalized estimating equations were applied to examine longitudinal associations, considering the correlations of individuals measured repeatedly. Results: GGT increased by 11.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.5 to 18.0%) in women and 8.1% (95% CI, -0.5 to 17.4%) in men per doubling of Hg levels, but AST and ALT were not significantly associated with Hg in either men or women. In women who drank more than 2 or 3 times per week, AST, ALT, and GGT levels increased by 10.6% (95% CI, 4.2 to 17.5%), 7.7% (95% CI, 1.1 to 14.7%), and 37.5% (95% CI,15.2 to 64.3%) per doubling of Hg levels, respectively, showing an interaction between blood Hg levels and drinking. Conclusions: Hg exposure was associated with an elevated serum concentration of GGT. Especially in women who were frequent drinkers, AST, ALT, and GGT showed a significant increase, with a significant synergistic effect of Hg and alcohol consumption.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.65 no.2
• /
• pp.73-80
• /
• 2022

A mercury sphygmomanometer (MS) has been the gold standard for pediatric blood pressure (BP) measurements, and diagnosing hypertension is critical. However, because of environmental issues, other alternatives are needed. Noninvasive BP measurement devices are largely divided into auscultatory and oscillometric types. The aneroid sphygmomanometer, the currently used auscultatory method, is inferior to MS in terms of limitations such as validation and regular calibration and difficult to apply to infants, in whom Korotkoff sounds are not audible. The oscillometric method uses an automatic device that eliminates errors caused by human observers and has the advantage of being easy to use; however, owing to its measurement accuracy issues, the development of an international validation protocol for children is important. The hybrid method, which combines the auscultatory and electronic methods, solves some of these problems by eliminating the observer bias of terminal digit preference while maintaining measurement accuracy; however, the auscultatory method remains limited. As the age-related characteristics of the pediatric group are heterogeneous, it is necessary to reconsider the appropriate BP measurement method suitable for this indication. In addition, the mobile application-based BP measurement market is growing rapidly with the development of smartphone applications. Although more research is still needed on their accuracy, many experts expect that mobile application-based BP measurement will effectively reduce medical costs due to increased ease of access and early BP management.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.908-915
• /
• 1994

It was attempted to observe the antidotic effects of garlic on mercury intoxicated rat model in vivo. The experimental model group consists of garlic juice treated group (G), garlic juice-mercury treated group(MG), mercury treated group (M), and control group (basal diet), The garlic juice of 2% to the daily diet by weight was administered orally to G and MG groups, The single dose of 2.5mgHG/Kg per week was given orally to M and MG groups. the study was carried out for 4 weeks. The results of experiment were as follows. For the group of Mg, and the weight increasing rate was improved to about 30% compared to that of group M. Furthermore a general tonic efficay of garlic was observed in G group in term of increased weight gain rate (bout 15%) than control. In the biochemical studies of rat blood garlic showed effects on lowering the abnormally elevated GPT, GOT, uric acid creatinine value, and especially in lowering the BUN value of Hg treated rat that was selectively elevated in the case of impared renal function such as acute gromerulonephritis caused by Hg intoxication. In the analytical studies blood and renal Hg contents. HG group showed lower value (0.3, 0.33ppm) than that of M group (0.46, 0.51 ppm) Significant difference in reducing Hg level due to the antidotic effect of garlic was observed. In conclusion, it was revealed out from this research, the main principles of garlic, nonprotein sulfur amino acid (alliin) and sulfur compounds (allicin and diallyl disulfides) seem to almost certainly have an antidotic effect on mercury intoxication of rat in vivo.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.450-464
• /
• 2016

Objectives: This study developed and validated reference materials (RMs) to analyze metal compounds in blood. Methods: We referred to KoNEHS (Korea National Environmental Health Survey) to estimate concentrations of blood metals (cadmium, Cd; lead, Pb; mercury, Hg) and applied analytical methods (inductively coupled plasma - mass spectroscopy, ICP-MS, for Cd and Pb; graphite furnace - atomic absorption spectrometry, GF-AAS, for Cd and Pb; and direct mercury analyzer, DMA, for Hg). Homogeneity and stability tests were carried out. In addition, certified values and uncertainties of RMs were calculated through internal and external experiments. All RMs were developed and assessed in various forms according to element, analytical method, and two types of concentration levels high concentration for occupational exposure and low concentration for environmental exposure. Results: All samples showed acceptable homogeneity, except for low concentration of Cd in the GF-AAS method. Short- and long-term stabilities were satisfied by ANOVA testing. In the inter-laboratory comparison, robust medians were lower than the certified values of all RMs (robust median/reference value; $1.301/1.327{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, ICP-MS, low concentration; $3.152/3.388{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, ICP-MS, high concentration; $1.219/1.301{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, GF-AAS, low concentration; $3.074/3.321{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, GF-AAS, high concentration; $14.473/14.516{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, ICP-MS, low concentration; $50.069/50.114{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, ICP-MS, high concentration; $12.881/14.147{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, GF-AAS, low concentration; $47.015/47.591{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, GF-AAS, high concentration; $4.059/4.218{\mu}g/L$ for Hg, DMA, low concentration; $11.474/11.181{\mu}g/L$ for Hg, DMA, high concentration). Conclusion: This study demonstrates procedures for developing and validating RMs for biomonitoring in the field of the environmental health.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.28 no.1 s.49
• /
• pp.27-42
• /
• 1995

The in vivo and in vitro humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of lymphocytes of BALB/c mouse exposed to mercury chloride$(HgCl_2)$ were investigated. In vitro exposure of the splenocytes to mercury chloride produced overt cytotoxicity in 3 hours period. The $IC_{50}$(the concentration required to inhibit a splenocyte viability by 50%) for mercury chloride was >0.1mM for cytotoxicity. In vivo mercury chloride exposed mice were significantly depressed delayed type hypersensitivity(DTH) response to sheep red blood cells(SRBC) in a dose-dependent manner compared with control group. Mercury chloride inhibited the proliferative responses of splenocytes to lipopolysaccharide, pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin in a dose-dependent manner. Hemagglutinin response to SRBC in mercury chloride exposed mice was significantly depressed in a dose-dependent manner compared with control group. After 7 weeks of mercury chloride exposure in vivo, mercury chloride induced an increase of nonspecific serum $IgG_1$ and IgE levels in BALB/c mice.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.193-200
• /
• 2011

Objectives: Blood lead and hyperhomocysteinemia have been found to be associated with cardiovascular disease. The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship of lead biomarkers on plasma homocysteine and blood pressure. Methods: To evaluate the effect of lead biomarkers including blood lead on plasma homocysteine and blood pressure in retired lead workers, 66 retired lead workers without any occupational exposure to organic solvent, mercury and arsenic were agreed to participate this study. For the control subjects 42 controls were recruited from same area of retired lead workers with consideration of demographic characteristics. Results: The mean levels of blood lead and ZPP of retired lead workers were significantly higher than control group. There were positive significant correlations between blood lead and plasma homocysteine, also systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The multiple linear regression analysis also reveled that plasma homocysteine was significantly associated with blood lead after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, lead exposure, smoking and drinking. Diastolic blood pressure was significantly associated with blood lead, plasma homocysteine, and total cholesterol; whereas, systolic blood pressure was significantly associated with plasma homocysteine only. Conclusions: Blood lead showed significant association with plasma homocysteine and blood pressure even after more than mean 10 years from their retirements.