On the Site and Mechanism of Mercury Vapor Resorption in the Lung

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Abstract
The percentage of whole-body mercury found in the lungs of guinea pigs exposed to mercury vapor for ten minutes was in the same range as after one hour’s exposure (25% to 33%). The highest concentrations of mercury were found in peripheral lung structures. The same distribution was found at different concentrations of mercury in the air. Only one tenth of the values were found in corresponding structures of animals injected with mercuric nitrate. Most of the mercury deposited in alveolar tissues is therefore probably deposited there directly from the air. The results are considered to indicate the following: that mercury vapor penetrates to the alveoli; that most of it is quickly transferred to the blood; and that a small fraction is deposited in the pulmonary tissues, from where it is slowly eliminated to the rest of the body.

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