[Urinary mercury excretion in professional users of an antiseptic soap containing 0,04% phenylmercury borate].

Concentrations of mercury and of creatinine were measured under blind conditions in 84 samples of urine from 48 regularly using a liquid soap containing 0.04% phenylmercuric borate plus 3% hexachlorophene for hand disinfection ("users"), and in 138 urine samples of 80 subjects disinfecting their hands with a soap containing only hexachlorophene ("controls"). The concentration of mercury in the urine of users was 27+/-3 mug/1 (mean +/- SE), and in controls 8+/-1 mug/1; calculated total 24 h urinary mercury excretions were 27+/-2 mug/24 h users and 9+/-1 mug/24 h in controls. Women excreted slightly more mercury than men both in the user group and the control group. In both controls and users from whom a second urine sample was obtained after a 2-week interval the concentration of mercury was consistently lower in the second sample. No correlation was found between urinary excretion of mercury and frequency of handwashings or reported intake of mercury-containing food. No difference was found in the numbers of different types of urinary cells or urine pH as between users and controls. It is concluded 1) that regular hand disinfection with a liquid soap containing 0.04% phenylmercuric borate enhanced urinary excretion of mercury indicating an increase in total daily absorption of 30-100 mug Hg/24 h, 2) that the absorption of mercury from the phenylmercuric borate-containing soap occurred partly by transfer from the hands to the oral cavity, 3) that, though nontoxic in themselves, the additional amounts of mercury absorbed through the use of mercury contained in skin disinfectants are potentially dangerous due to as yet unknown interactions with other toxic or pathogenic factors.