Occupational mercury exposure and its consequences for behaviour.
Mercury is a known neurotoxin. Evidence from animal studies show behavioural impairment which can be long-lasting, after low-level exposure to mercury. Human research, however, has not been conclusive. Chronic, high-level mercury exposure such as occurred in Japan, and the Middle East, Causes long-lasting and profound neurological damage. However the effects of low-level exposure, such as occurs in occupational exposure, are far from clear. This study used a comprehensive test battery based on an information processing framework to compare a group of twelve chronically mercury-exposed workers with a matched control group. The mercury-exposed group showed poorer psychomotor co-ordination and premature fatigue, although simple motor responses were not affected. General arousal levels also remained unaffected but mercury-exposed workers were superior in sustaining attention. In spite of this, the mercury-exposed group showed clear deficits in short-term memory.
D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005425:Flicker Fusion / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008628:Mercury / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000652:urine; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000187:drug effects*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D009787:Occupational Medicine; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects
D008628:Mercury