Acute mercury vapour intoxication: report of six cases

In a group of six workers acutely exposed to metallic mercury vapour in a confined space, one patient had acute renal and respiratory failure which required daily haemodialysis and mechanical ventilation, another had acute bilateral pneumonitis with respiratory insufficiency, and the other four had corrosive oropharyngeal mucositis with a 'flu-like syndrome. Serum and urinary mercury showed an obvious correlation with the clinical picture. After removal from the source of exposure and the institution support measures (including chelant therapy in the first two patients), all recovered without evidence of residual damage.