Mercury

Testing for mercury in the blood aims to detect possible mercury intoxication and monitor its levels in cases of occupational or recreational exposure. IntroLab, a blood analysis laboratory, offers testing for the presence of this heavy metal.

What is mercury?

Mercury is a natural metal that is often found in a liquid state at room temperature. In nature, it usually occurs as a compound, while in industry and medicine, it can be used in its pure form. It is important to note that mercury can be toxic, especially when it transforms into the ionized Hg2+ form or the organic methyl Hg form. Testing for heavy metals in the blood, including mercury tests, can help detect potential intoxication and identify harmful concentrations of mercury.

Toxic effects of mercury in the blood

Mercury can harm the body in three primary ways:

Kidney damage

The ionized inorganic form of mercury (Hg2+) easily reacts with proteins in the blood, altering their tertiary structure and causing them to lose functionality. These altered proteins are excreted through the kidneys, leading to a higher concentration of mercury in the kidneys and resulting in damage.

Connective tissue damage

Changes in the tertiary structure of proteins can make them immunogenic, meaning the immune system recognizes these proteins and produces autoantibodies. These autoantibodies cause damage to connective tissue, especially tissues rich in collagen.

Nerve cell damage

Methylmercury (CH3-Hg+), a form of alkylmercury, binds to lipid-rich tissues, particularly neurons, which contain myelin that is susceptible to damage.

Interpretation of Results

The results of blood tests showing low mercury levels are not significant.

The concentration of mercury in the blood and urine indicates the level of toxicity. For mercury, reference values in blood tests are less than 10.0 ng/ml. Individuals with moderate occupational exposure, such as dentists, may have mercury levels up to 15 ng/ml. Significant exposure is indicated when blood mercury levels exceed 50 ng/ml for alkylmercury or over 200 ng/ml for Hg(+2).