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Previous by Date: Subject: mercury- final questions Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:11:28 -0500 Author: List Moderator |
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From: ahalltoxic**At_Symbol_Here**msn.com Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] mercury- final questions Date: November 23, 2007 12:35:12 PM EST (CA) All, I'd suggest that the teacher who has concerns be evaluated by a physician who knows about mercury poisoning. Such physicians would be either Occupational/Environmental Medicine Physicians or Medical Toxicologists. To find a Medical Toxicologist in the appropriate region, go to www.acmt.org and choose "Find a Toxicologist". We are few and far between, but this is the site (all Members are Board- Certified Medical Toxicologists). If this is not an option, ask the evaluating physician to contact your Regional Poison Center (national toll-free number 1-800-222-1222 which will automatically switch you to the PC in your area/state) for advice on testing and (only if appropriate) treatment. There was a famous case of workers in a mercury thermometer manufacturing facility in Vermont dragging home significant amounts of mercury on clothes and shoes. The Vermont State Health or Environmental Departments may very well have some good advice about testing and clean-up (if needed). According the manufacturers' website, the Lumex 915 is also known as the Zeeman Mercury Analyzer RA-915, and is used to detect mercury vapor (one of the more toxic forms of metallic mercury) in air, water, natural and stack gases, oil, in solids and sediments, foodstuff, and so on. The method is by atomic absorption spectrometry. The instrument is said to have a detection limit of 2 ng/m3 in air. (for comparison, the ACGIH TLV -- Threshold Limit Value -- for Mercury in air is 0.05 mg/m3 Time Weighted Average, Skin Notation although the National Research Council's EGLs or AEGLs might be better for comparison as they are designed for the general public as opposed to healthy workers). Much more information on this instrument is available by either "Googling" Lumex 915 or at http://www.lumex.biz/product/ra915.shtml . A very good reference for the evaluating physician: Yip L, Dart RC, Sullivan JB: Mercury, in: Sullivan JB, Krieger GR (eds), Clinical Environmental Health and Toxic Exposures, 2nd ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2001, pp. 867-879. Hopefully, this helps. My daughter teaches high school science on a Native American Reservation in Montana and her much neglected storeroom has been fun to deal with. To attempt to answer your questions: 1. The teacher is correct to have concerns about having inadvertently brought some mercury home and mercury is a neurotoxicant that can affect young children. 2. If the mercury exposure was mainly to vapor and he hasn't been in the potentially contaminated area for a year or so, blood or 24-hour urine testing for mercury might indeed not be elevated at this time. Therefore, a "normal" level would not rule out prior exposure, but an elevated level certainly would confirm such an exposure. 3. Yes, I would test the area of the rolling table and the general air level in the room. The Lumex 915 is a direct reading instrument, so this should not involve much additional cost. 4. It makes you the "Bad Guy - Black Hat" in terms of costing the school district some money, but it makes you the "Good Guy - White Hat" in terms of using your knowledge of science to perhaps correct a hazardous work setting for the teachers and, perhaps more important, for the students. Kudos! 5. As an old US Army Vietnam Era Veteran and a retired United States Air Force Reserves Flight Surgeon, I'd do all the CYA you can. Anything that disturbs the status quo of the "Powers-that-Be" or costs them money (and we all know how schools are underfunded in the best of circumstances) can get them upset and looking for someone to blame. I remember very well nearly being deported from Kyrgystan at gunpoint a few years back because I told the Minister of Public Health and the Minister of Security how their government had messed up dealing with a 20-ton sodium cyanide spill into a river upstream from 2 villages. Best wishes and keep up the good work. Just don't let some "Clinical Ecologist" or their ilk anywhere near the potentially exposed folks. Much more harm than good from these folks. Alan H. Hall, M.D. President and Chief Medical Toxicologist Toxicology Consulting and Medical Translating Services, Inc. Laramie, WY and Clinical Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Denver, CO Telephone: (307) 745-0600 Cell Phone (preferred): (307) 399-1564 FAX: (307) 745-0605 email: ahalltoxic**At_Symbol_Here**msn.com
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