Experimental studies on organomercury poisoning in chickens in Iraq

For 164 days mature chickens received a daily diet containing 40 g of wheat treated with organomercurial fungicide and 80 g of untreated diet. A control group received 120 g of normal diet daily. The experimental group was then split - half receiving the same diet for a further 155 days, by which time all had been killed or had died, the other half being fed the same diet as the controls. No cases of mercurialism were seen in the experimental group, although 2 died after 143 and 319 days respectively. Egg production fluctuated as between the groups. Mercury levels in egg albumin showed high peaks after 98 and 108 days. After the feeding of contaminated wheat had been discontinued the albumin mercury level did not fall consistently below 0.5 mg/kg for 127 days. Levels in egg yolk always remained below the level in wheat and dropped to zero 49 days after feeding of the dressed wheat had been discontinued. Mercury levels found in tissue were similar to those described by other authors. Levels in the edible parts of the single cock examined exceeded those in the hens. Implications of these findings for public health decisions on the use of chicken and eggs as food when the birds have had access to contaminated grain are discussed.