Partition coefficients of mercury (203Hg) vapor between air and biological fluids.

Ostwald partition coefficients for mercury (Hg203) vapor (ng Hg per ml fluid/ng Hg vapor per ml air) were determined for human whole blood, 10.50 (10 degrees C), 6.62 (22 degrees C); 4.20 (37 degrees C); for human plasma, 5.56 (10 degrees C), 3.63 (22 degrees C), 2.40 (37 degrees C); for 0.9% NaCl; 2.65 (22 degrees C); and for sunflower oil, 80.8 (22 degrees C). It was shown that the uptake of mercury vapor by whole blood can not be accounted for as the sum of the solubilities of the saline and lipid components, but that when the uptake by hemoglobin is included the agreement is satisfactory. Using the solubility of mercury vapor as determined in this paper, consideration was given to various mechanisms for mobilization of mercury vapor from the lung. The method used for these determinations is recommended for similar studies because of its simplicity and precision.