Mercury-induced motor and sensory neurotoxicity: systematic review of workers currently exposed to mercury vapor

The neurotoxicity of elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) is well-recognized, but it is uncertain whether and for how long neurotoxicity persists; among studies that evaluated previously exposed workers, only one examined workers during and also years after exposure ceased. The aim of this review is to documen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Critical reviews in toxicology 2017-11, Vol.47 (10), p.815-848
Main Authors: Fields, Cheryl A., Borak, Jonathan, Louis, Elan D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Air Pollutants, Occupational - analysis
electrophysiological studies
Elemental mercury
Humans
Male
Mercury - analysis
Middle Aged
motor function
neurobehavioral testing
neurotoxicity
Neurotoxicity Syndromes - epidemiology
occupational disease
Occupational Diseases - epidemiology
Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data
physical examination
tremor
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Summary:The neurotoxicity of elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) is well-recognized, but it is uncertain whether and for how long neurotoxicity persists; among studies that evaluated previously exposed workers, only one examined workers during and also years after exposure ceased. The aim of this review is to document the type, frequency, and dose-relatedness of objective neurological effects in currently exposed mercury workers and thereby provide first approximations of the effects one would have expected in previously exposed workers evaluated during exposure. We systematically reviewed studies of neurotoxicity in currently exposed mercury workers identified by searching MEDLINE (1950-2015), government reports, textbook chapters, and references cited therein; dental cohorts were not included. Outcomes on physical examination (PE), neurobehavioral (NB) tests, and electrophysiological studies were extracted and evaluated for consistency and dose-relatedness. Forty-five eligible studies were identified, comprising over 3000 workers chronically exposed to a range of Hg 0 concentrations (0.002-1.7 mg/m 3 ). Effects that demonstrated consistency across studies and increased frequency across urine mercury levels (200 μg/L, while NB testing is more appropriate for those with lower U Hg levels. They also provide benchmarks to which findings in workers with historical exposure can be compared.
ISSN:1040-8444
1547-6898
DOI:10.1080/10408444.2017.1342598