Total mercury in human renal cortex, liver, cerebellum and hair

The aim of this study was: (a) to estimate the concentration of total mercury in the renal cortex, liver, cerebellum and hair of 46 persons who died suddenly in the Gdańsk region, northern Poland, between the ages of 17 and 90; and (b) to assess whether a correlation occurs between mercury content in the investigated biological media. The mean concentrations of mercury in the human hair, renal cortex, liver and cerebellum were: 378 +/- 315.4 ng/g; 68.6 +/- 92.3 ng/g; 29.9 +/- 22 ng/g and 5.3 +/- 6.9 ng/g respectively. Positive correlations were found between mercury levels in: cerebellum and liver (r = 0.873), cerebellum and hair (r = 0.853), cerebellum and renal cortex (r = 0.578), hair and liver (r = 0.771), hair and renal cortex (r = 0.478) liver and renal cortex (r = 0.66). The geometric mean levels of mercury in the renal cortex, liver, cerebellum and hair in the residents of the Gdańsk region are 15-19 times lower than in the population of Tokyo and its environs [Suzuki T, Hongo T, Yoshinaga J et al. The hair-organ relationship in mercury concentration in contemporary Japanese. Arch Environ Health 1993;44:361-365].