Levels of organic and inorganic mercury in human blood predicted from measurements of total mercury

Abstract

The toxicologically relevant mercury species inorganic and organic Hg in blood are frequently determined by separate measurements of total Hg and of inorganic Hg, with their difference indicating organic Hg. It is shown that the different partition of inorganic and organic Hg between erythrocytes and plasma (e/p ratio) can be used to calculate the concentrations of either Hg species in either blood constituent from measurement of total Hg only. This was tested on the blood of different groups of volunteers. The calculated concentrations of inorganic and organic Hg in cells and plasma were then compared by linear regression with their previously measured counterparts. An accurate prediction has been found for individual levels of inorganic Hg in plasma and organic Hg in cells. These calculated levels were little affected by variations of the e/p ratios. The coincidence between calculated and measured levels of inorganic Hg in cells and organic Hg in plasma was more sensitive to alterations of the e/p ratios. In conclusion, the relevant concentrations of inorganic Hg in plasma and organic Hg in cells can reliably be calculated from measurements of total Hg and from assumed e/p ratios. This means a sizeable reduction of analytical work, and also provides specific information in cases of low-level co-exposure to both Hg species. Besides the possibility to introduce automated analyses of total Hg in mercury speciation in blood, the proposed calculation scheme has the potential to easily enlarge the data base in epidemiological and toxicological surveys of mercury exposure.