[Exposure to mercury in the population. I. Mercury concentrations in the urine of normal subjects].

The levels of mercury were determined in 24 h urine samples collected from 703 subjects (age 1-79 years) living in the Eastern part of the Ruhr area (West-Germany). The mean HgU level was 0.75 micrograms/l (range less than 0.1-19.3 micrograms/l) and the mean HgU level standardized for creatinine was 0.64 micrograms/g creatinine (range: less than 0.1-27.4 micrograms/g creatinine). The mean mercury excretion per 24 h was 0.48 micrograms in subjects less than 18 years and 0.99 micrograms in subjects greater than 18 years. Females were found to have, on average, higher HgU levels and also a higher excretion of mercury per 24 h than males. Subjects greater than 18 years had significantly higher HgU levels than subjects less than 18 years of age. The effect of age was found to be substantially more pronounced in females than in males. Smoking did not affect the urinary mercury excretion.