Urinary selenium excretion in workers with low exposure to mercury vapour

Urinary selenium excretion was studied in 21 mercury vapour (Hgo)-exposed workers involved in the demolition of a chloralkali plant. The subjects had no known previous occupational exposure to mercury. Their mean pre-exposure urinary mercury concentration, determined on average 1.2 days prior to the exposure, was 0.8 nmol mmol-1 creatinine (range 0.3-1.9). Their last mean urinary mercury concentration, determined on average after 51.4 days (range 19-103) of exposure, was 4.8 nmol mmol-1 creatinine (range 1.2-10.0). The exposure ceased on average 4.1 days after the last determined urinary mercury concentration. The corresponding concentrations of urinary selenium decreased from an average of 39.1 nmol mmol-1 creatinine (range 13.9-89.5) to 29.0 nmol mmol-1 creatinine (range 10.1-52.9) (P = 0.002). This finding may indicate that even a low to moderate work-related exposure to Hgo may reduce the urinary selenium concentration in humans in a manner that is not yet fully known.