Amin-Zaki L, Elhassani S, Majeed M A, Clarkson T W, Doherty R A, Greenwood M R, Giovanoli-Jakubczak T
Am J Dis Child. 1976 Oct;130(10):1070-6. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1976.02120110032004.
The signs and symptoms of methylmercury poisoning and the concentrations of mercury in samples of blood, hair, and milk are reported and compared in two infant-mother pairs exposed in the recent Iraq outbreak. In one pair, the infant was born prior to the exposure of the mother, and was exposed only from ingestion of methylmercury in mother's milk. In the other pair, the mother was exposed during pregnancy and did not breast feed the infant, who died 30 days after birth. Both mothers had some signs and symptoms of poisoning, but the infants did not. The infants had maximum estimated blood mercury levels between 500 and 1,000 ng/ml, well above the minimum toxic levels for adults. Hair and blood concentrations of mercury correlated closely, the average hair-blood ratio being about 250. Maternal milk averaged 8.6% of the simultaneous blood level, but the relationship was nonlinear at blood mercury levels below 50 ng/ml. Postnatal exposure by suckling led to substantial infant blood mercury concentration (over 600 ng/ml), and prenatal exposure resulted in blood mercury levels in the infant at birth higher than those in the mother, even after corrections for differences in hematocrit level.
在最近伊拉克疫情中暴露的两对母婴中，报告并比较了甲基汞中毒的体征和症状以及血液、头发和乳汁样本中的汞浓度。在其中一对中，婴儿在母亲暴露之前出生，仅通过摄入母乳中的甲基汞而暴露。在另一对中，母亲在怀孕期间暴露，未对婴儿进行母乳喂养，婴儿出生30天后死亡。两位母亲都有一些中毒的体征和症状，但婴儿没有。婴儿估计的血液汞最高水平在500至1000纳克/毫升之间，远高于成人的最低中毒水平。头发和血液中的汞浓度密切相关，平均发血比约为250。母乳平均为同时期血液水平的8.6%，但在血液汞水平低于50纳克/毫升时，这种关系是非线性的。通过哺乳进行的产后暴露导致婴儿血液汞浓度大幅升高（超过600纳克/毫升），即使在对血细胞比容水平差异进行校正后，产前暴露也导致婴儿出生时的血液汞水平高于母亲。
