Early chronic low-level methylmercury poisoning in monkeys impairs spatial vision.
Five monkeys were treated from birth with oral doses of mercury as methylmercury (50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day); concentrations in the blood peaked at 1.2 to 1.4 parts per million; and declined after weaning from infant formula to a steady level of 0.6 to 0.9 part per million. There were no overt signs of toxicity. When tested between 3 and 4 years of age under conditions of both high and low luminance, treated monkeys exhibited spatial vision that was impaired compared with that of control monkeys.
D000818:Animals; D005035:Ethylmercury Compounds / Q000506:poisoning*; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014794:Visual Fields; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
D005035:Ethylmercury Compounds