Neonatal mercury vapor exposure in an infant incubator.
A healthy newborn infant acquired a substantial body burden of mercury by inhaling mercury vapor originating from a broken mercury expansion switch in the heating unit of an infant incubator. Highly toxic mercury vapor is produced in quantity by heating otherwise harmless metallic mercury. Switches and thermometers that contain mercury should be removed from infant incubators.
D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007186:Incubators, Infant / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000209:etiology*; D013821:Thermometers
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008628:Mercury