Mercury in herbal medicines: potentially dangerous

[Guest guest]

Hi George & All,

 

George Mandler wrote:

> Now on the topic of heavy metals it is what the metal is bound to

> that matters. When they do these spectroscopy tests they can only

> determine the presence of the metal, not what it is bound to. For

> example methyl-mercury is what is poisonous and found in fish etc,

> however if it is a mercury salt it probably won't be absorbed and

> is a passed out the feces. But the spectroscopy cannot

> differentiate between methyl-mercury and a salt form and I'm

> surprised it wasn't talked about. So either they felt it wasn't

> important or I'm wrong and need to pull out my biochem books. my

> $.02 --george

 

George, with respect, I must disagree!

 

Whether deliberately added to herbal forumlas, or present as a contaminant,

mercury, MUST be regarded as potentially toxic. MANY chronic conditions in

humans and animals are due to low-grade (undiagnosed by conventional

methods) Hg poisoning.Low-grade Hg exposure is thought to be one of the

causal factors of autism in children - whether from the pregnant mother, or from

thiomersal/thiomersol-preserved vaccines.

 

Though different compounds of mercury, and even elemental Hg, undoubtedly

have different coefficients of gastrointestinal absorption, even Hg from Hg-

amalgam in teeth-fillings can get into the blood and other tissues. See:

http://tinyurl.com/3zze9

 

Below are recent abstracts on HgCl and Hg vapour (in dentristry) Hg can be

absorbed theough the skin, not to mention the g/i tract. The last abstract

estimates the g/i coefficient of absorption of Hg vapour (in dentristry) at

circa

10%.

 

J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2000;38(7):701-7. Transdermal kinetics of a mercurous

chloride beauty cream: an in vitro human skin analysis. Palmer RB, Godwin

DA, McKinney PE. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of

New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA. robp BACKGROUND:

Crema de Belleza-Manning is a popular mercurous chloride-containing beauty

cream used to smooth and lighten the complexion and treat acne. Hundreds of

people in the Southwestern US border states have been identified with elevated

(>20 microg/L) urine mercury levels believed to be secondary to using this

cream. The kinetic characteristics of percutaneous mercury absorption are

incompletely defined. The objective of this study was to determine the

transdermal kinetics of two formulations of mercurous chloride from a beauty

cream in an in vitro human skin model. METHODS: A proprietary formulation

and an aqueous formulation of the beauty cream were studied using modified

Franz diffusion cells. Mercury content in the skin samples and the underlying

diffusion buffer was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

RESULTS: A rapid initial increase in mercury content both in the skin and the

buffer was noted for both formulations. Mercury concentrations in the aqueous

samples were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in both the skin and the diffusion

buffer compared to parallel samples containing glycerol. CONCLUSIONS:

Mercury was readily absorbed through the skin in this in vitro human skin

model. The aqueous preparation had a markedly increased rate and extent of

mercury absorption relative to the proprietary formulation.PMID: 11192457

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1998 Oct;287(1):8-12. DMPS (2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-

sulfonate, dimaval) decreases the body burden of mercury in humans exposed

to mercurous chloride. Gonzalez-Ramirez D, Zuniga-Charles M, Narro-Juarez

A, Molina-Recio Y, Hurlbut KM, Dart RC, Aposhian HV. Department of

Pharmacology,, Centro de Investigacion Biomedica del Noreste, Instituto

Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico. DMPS (2,3-

dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate, Na salt), when used as a challenge test for

mercury in workers involved in the production of a calomel skin-bleaching lotion

and in direct contact with mercurous chloride, elevated urine levels of mercury.

A DMPS treatment regimen was devised and initiated. Three days after the

challenge test, DMPS was administered p.o. (400 mg per day) for 8 days,

followed by a no-treatment period of five days. A new cycle of DMPS treatment

for 7 days was initiated and followed by 5 days without treatment. A third

period

of treatment was begun for 6 days, followed by a 5-day no-treatment period.

The urinary mercury greatly increased during those periods when DMPS was

administered (1754, 314, and 173 microgram/24 h for the periods 1, 2 and 3,

compared with 106, 48 and 53 microgram/24 h on the corresponding no-

treatment periods). One of the workers presented signs of drug intolerance and

was discharged after receiving the first cycle of treatment. DMPS treatment

was effective in lowering the body burden of mercury and in decreasing the

urinary mercury concentration to normal levels. PMID: 9765315 [PubMed -

indexed for MEDLINE]

 

Vet Rec. 1997 May 24;140(21):549-52. Poisoning of dairy heifers by mercurous

chloride. Simpson VR, Stuart NC, Munro R, Hunt A, Livesey CT. Lasswade

Veterinary Laboratory, Penicuick, Midlothian. Mercury poisoning was

diagnosed in four dairy heifers, three of which died. The clinical signs were

variable and included salivation, excessive thirst, extreme depression and

severe diarrhoea. Postmortem examinations revealed inflammation and

ulceration of the alimentary tract, pulmonary and cardiac haemorrhages, pallor

of the kidney cortices and perirenal oedema. The kidney mercury

concentrations were in the range 58 to 91 micrograms/g wet tissue. It is

believed that the animals were poisoned by the ingestion of soil contaminated

with mercurous chloride. PMID: 9185311 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

Environ Res. 2002 Mar;88(3):145-55. Metals and women's health. Vahter M,

Berglund M, Akesson A, Liden C. Institute of Environmental Medicine,

Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Marie.Vahter There is a lack of

information concerning whether environmental-related health effects are more or

less prevalent or manifested differently in women compared to men. Previously,

most research in the area of toxicology and environmental and occupational

health involved male subjects. The present work aims at reviewing exposure

and health effects of cadmium, nickel, lead, mercury, and arsenic manifested

differently in women than in men. The gender difference in exposure to nickel

results in a much higher prevalence of nickel allergy and hand eczema in

women than in men. The internal cadmium dose is generally higher in women

than in men, due to a higher gastro-intestinal absorption at low iron stores.

This

was probably one major reason why Itai-itai disease was mainly a woman's

disease. Yet, data are sparse regarding the risk for women relative to men to

develop cadmium-induced kidney damage in populations exposed to low levels

of cadmium. Lead is accumulated mainly in bone and increased endogenous

lead exposure has been demonstrated in women during periods of increased

bone turnover, e.g., menopause. Both lead and mercury exposure in pregnant

women has to be kept low in order to prevent neurodevelopment effects in the

developing fetus and child. Limited data indicate that women are more affected

than men following exposure to methylmercury at adult age, while males seem

to be more sensitive to exposure during early development. Regarding arsenic,

some data indicate gender differences in the biotransformation by methylation,

possibly also in susceptibility to certain arsenic-related cancers. Obviously,

gender-related differences in exposure and health effects caused by metals are

highly neglected research areas, which need considerable focus in the future.

© 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial

PMID: 12051792 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

J Dent Res. 1992 Feb;71(2):414-23. Daily dose calculations from

measurements of intra-oral mercury vapor. Olsson S, Bergman M. Department

of Dental Materials and Technology, Faculty of Odontology, University of Umea,

Sweden. Measurements of intra-oral mercury vapor from amalgam fillings are

discussed. It was shown that the only quantity which it is possible to measure

is the mercury release rate, and that the concentrations of mercury vapor in the

oral cavity published in most earlier studies are the mercury concentrations in

the measuring cell of the measuring apparatus and not the concentrations in

the oral cavity. The consequences for the daily dose equations of the facts that

the mercury source is present inside the oral cavity and that the amount of

mercury released during a certain time is limited are discussed. It was found

that most daily dose equations used have a questionable mercury distribution

on inspiration, expiration, and swallowing. Re-calculations of almost all the

available daily dose data showed a mean daily dose value of about 1.3

micrograms Hg/day (range, 0.3-2.2 micrograms Hg/day). The mean swallowed

amount of mercury from intra-oral mercury vapor was calculated as being in the

order of 10 micrograms Hg/day (range, 2.4-17 micrograms Hg/day), resulting in

an estimated absorption of about 1 microgram Hg/day from the gastro-intestinal

tract. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 1556301 [PubMed -

indexed for MEDLINE]

 

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

Email: <

 

WORK : Teagasc, c/o 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Mobile: 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

 

HOME : 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

WWW : http://homepage.eircom.net/~progers/searchap.htm

 

Chinese Proverb: " Man who says it can't be done, should not interrupt man doing

it "

[Guest guest]

Great point. I would like to add that autism does have a large connection

to thimerosol according to geneticist and pediatric researcher Dr. Geier

(formerly of CDC). He found that mercury from the vaccines (which has been

increasing) is the leading cause and also that testosterone is involved

(which is why most autistic children are boys). Later

Mike W. Bowser, L Ac

 

> " " <

>Chinese Medicine

>Chinese Medicine

> Re: Mercury in herbal medicines: potentially dangerous

>Fri, 17 Dec 2004 04:26:38 -0000

>

>Hi George & All,

>

>George Mandler wrote:

> > Now on the topic of heavy metals it is what the metal is bound to

> > that matters. When they do these spectroscopy tests they can only

> > determine the presence of the metal, not what it is bound to. For

> > example methyl-mercury is what is poisonous and found in fish etc,

> > however if it is a mercury salt it probably won't be absorbed and

> > is a passed out the feces. But the spectroscopy cannot

> > differentiate between methyl-mercury and a salt form and I'm

> > surprised it wasn't talked about. So either they felt it wasn't

> > important or I'm wrong and need to pull out my biochem books. my

> > $.02 --george

>

>George, with respect, I must disagree!

>

>Whether deliberately added to herbal forumlas, or present as a contaminant,

>mercury, MUST be regarded as potentially toxic. MANY chronic conditions in

>humans and animals are due to low-grade (undiagnosed by conventional

>methods) Hg poisoning.Low-grade Hg exposure is thought to be one of the

>causal factors of autism in children - whether from the pregnant mother, or

>from

>thiomersal/thiomersol-preserved vaccines.

>

>Though different compounds of mercury, and even elemental Hg, undoubtedly

>have different coefficients of gastrointestinal absorption, even Hg from

>Hg-

>amalgam in teeth-fillings can get into the blood and other tissues. See:

>http://tinyurl.com/3zze9

>

>Below are recent abstracts on HgCl and Hg vapour (in dentristry) Hg can be

>absorbed theough the skin, not to mention the g/i tract. The last abstract

>estimates the g/i coefficient of absorption of Hg vapour (in dentristry) at

>circa

>10%.

>

>J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2000;38(7):701-7. Transdermal kinetics of a

>mercurous

>chloride beauty cream: an in vitro human skin analysis. Palmer RB, Godwin

>DA, McKinney PE. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University

>of

>New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA. robp BACKGROUND:

>Crema de Belleza-Manning is a popular mercurous chloride-containing beauty

>cream used to smooth and lighten the complexion and treat acne. Hundreds of

>people in the Southwestern US border states have been identified with

>elevated

>(>20 microg/L) urine mercury levels believed to be secondary to using this

>cream. The kinetic characteristics of percutaneous mercury absorption are

>incompletely defined. The objective of this study was to determine the

>transdermal kinetics of two formulations of mercurous chloride from a

>beauty

>cream in an in vitro human skin model. METHODS: A proprietary formulation

>and an aqueous formulation of the beauty cream were studied using modified

>Franz diffusion cells. Mercury content in the skin samples and the

>underlying

>diffusion buffer was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

>RESULTS: A rapid initial increase in mercury content both in the skin and

>the

>buffer was noted for both formulations. Mercury concentrations in the

>aqueous

>samples were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in both the skin and the

>diffusion

>buffer compared to parallel samples containing glycerol. CONCLUSIONS:

>Mercury was readily absorbed through the skin in this in vitro human skin

>model. The aqueous preparation had a markedly increased rate and extent of

>mercury absorption relative to the proprietary formulation.PMID: 11192457

>[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

>J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1998 Oct;287(1):8-12. DMPS (2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-

>sulfonate, dimaval) decreases the body burden of mercury in humans exposed

>to mercurous chloride. Gonzalez-Ramirez D, Zuniga-Charles M, Narro-Juarez

>A, Molina-Recio Y, Hurlbut KM, Dart RC, Aposhian HV. Department of

>Pharmacology,, Centro de Investigacion Biomedica del Noreste, Instituto

>Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico. DMPS (2,3-

>dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate, Na salt), when used as a challenge test for

>mercury in workers involved in the production of a calomel skin-bleaching

>lotion

>and in direct contact with mercurous chloride, elevated urine levels of

>mercury.

>A DMPS treatment regimen was devised and initiated. Three days after the

>challenge test, DMPS was administered p.o. (400 mg per day) for 8 days,

>followed by a no-treatment period of five days. A new cycle of DMPS

>treatment

>for 7 days was initiated and followed by 5 days without treatment. A third

>period

>of treatment was begun for 6 days, followed by a 5-day no-treatment period.

>The urinary mercury greatly increased during those periods when DMPS was

>administered (1754, 314, and 173 microgram/24 h for the periods 1, 2 and 3,

>compared with 106, 48 and 53 microgram/24 h on the corresponding no-

>treatment periods). One of the workers presented signs of drug intolerance

>and

>was discharged after receiving the first cycle of treatment. DMPS treatment

>was effective in lowering the body burden of mercury and in decreasing the

>urinary mercury concentration to normal levels. PMID: 9765315 [PubMed -

>indexed for MEDLINE]

>

>Vet Rec. 1997 May 24;140(21):549-52. Poisoning of dairy heifers by

>mercurous

>chloride. Simpson VR, Stuart NC, Munro R, Hunt A, Livesey CT. Lasswade

>Veterinary Laboratory, Penicuick, Midlothian. Mercury poisoning was

>diagnosed in four dairy heifers, three of which died. The clinical signs

>were

>variable and included salivation, excessive thirst, extreme depression and

>severe diarrhoea. Postmortem examinations revealed inflammation and

>ulceration of the alimentary tract, pulmonary and cardiac haemorrhages,

>pallor

>of the kidney cortices and perirenal oedema. The kidney mercury

>concentrations were in the range 58 to 91 micrograms/g wet tissue. It is

>believed that the animals were poisoned by the ingestion of soil

>contaminated

>with mercurous chloride. PMID: 9185311 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

>Environ Res. 2002 Mar;88(3):145-55. Metals and women's health. Vahter M,

>Berglund M, Akesson A, Liden C. Institute of Environmental Medicine,

>Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Marie.Vahter There is a lack of

>information concerning whether environmental-related health effects are

>more or

>less prevalent or manifested differently in women compared to men.

>Previously,

>most research in the area of toxicology and environmental and occupational

>health involved male subjects. The present work aims at reviewing exposure

>and health effects of cadmium, nickel, lead, mercury, and arsenic

>manifested

>differently in women than in men. The gender difference in exposure to

>nickel

>results in a much higher prevalence of nickel allergy and hand eczema in

>women than in men. The internal cadmium dose is generally higher in women

>than in men, due to a higher gastro-intestinal absorption at low iron

>stores. This

>was probably one major reason why Itai-itai disease was mainly a woman's

>disease. Yet, data are sparse regarding the risk for women relative to men

>to

>develop cadmium-induced kidney damage in populations exposed to low levels

>of cadmium. Lead is accumulated mainly in bone and increased endogenous

>lead exposure has been demonstrated in women during periods of increased

>bone turnover, e.g., menopause. Both lead and mercury exposure in pregnant

>women has to be kept low in order to prevent neurodevelopment effects in

>the

>developing fetus and child. Limited data indicate that women are more

>affected

>than men following exposure to methylmercury at adult age, while males seem

>to be more sensitive to exposure during early development. Regarding

>arsenic,

>some data indicate gender differences in the biotransformation by

>methylation,

>possibly also in susceptibility to certain arsenic-related cancers.

>Obviously,

>gender-related differences in exposure and health effects caused by metals

>are

>highly neglected research areas, which need considerable focus in the

>future.

>© 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). Publication Types: Review Review,

>Tutorial

>PMID: 12051792 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

>J Dent Res. 1992 Feb;71(2):414-23. Daily dose calculations from

>measurements of intra-oral mercury vapor. Olsson S, Bergman M. Department

>of Dental Materials and Technology, Faculty of Odontology, University of

>Umea,

>Sweden. Measurements of intra-oral mercury vapor from amalgam fillings are

>discussed. It was shown that the only quantity which it is possible to

>measure

>is the mercury release rate, and that the concentrations of mercury vapor

>in the

>oral cavity published in most earlier studies are the mercury

>concentrations in

>the measuring cell of the measuring apparatus and not the concentrations in

>the oral cavity. The consequences for the daily dose equations of the facts

>that

>the mercury source is present inside the oral cavity and that the amount of

>mercury released during a certain time is limited are discussed. It was

>found

>that most daily dose equations used have a questionable mercury

>distribution

>on inspiration, expiration, and swallowing. Re-calculations of almost all

>the

>available daily dose data showed a mean daily dose value of about 1.3

>micrograms Hg/day (range, 0.3-2.2 micrograms Hg/day). The mean swallowed

>amount of mercury from intra-oral mercury vapor was calculated as being in

>the

>order of 10 micrograms Hg/day (range, 2.4-17 micrograms Hg/day), resulting

>in

>an estimated absorption of about 1 microgram Hg/day from the

>gastro-intestinal

>tract. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 1556301 [PubMed -

>indexed for MEDLINE]

>

>

>

>

>Best regards,

>

>Email: <

>

>WORK : Teagasc, c/o 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

>Mobile: 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

>

>HOME : 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

>Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

>WWW : http://homepage.eircom.net/~progers/searchap.htm

>

>Chinese Proverb: " Man who says it can't be done, should not interrupt man

>doing it "

[Guest guest]

FYI

 

US FDA Initiates Seizure of Ginseng Because of

Potentially Risky Pesticide Residues

 

At the request of the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA), the U.S. District Court for the District of New

Jersey issued a warrant for the seizure of

imported ginseng, and held for sale at FCC Products,

Inc., located in Livingston, N.J. The U.S. Marshals

Service, accompanied by an FDA investigator, yesterday

seized the ginseng. The exact amount and extent of

distribution at this time is unknown, but was probably

small in scope. Due to the uncertainty of the

distribution, FDA is issuing a nationwide warning to

those who may have used this product.

The bulk and blended ginseng products held at

FCC Products, Inc., are adulterated under the Federal

Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they contain

pesticide chemical residues that are unsafe. The

pesticide chemical residues, procymidone and

quintozene, are deemed unsafe because there has

been no tolerance established for residues of

procymidone and quintozene in ginseng. During an

inspection of FCC Products, Inc., FDA collected

samples of the firm's ginseng, which the firm uses as

an ingredient to blend into dietary supplements. FDA

laboratory analysis determined that the bulk ginseng

products sampled at FCC Products, Inc., contain

pesticide chemical residues procymidone and

quintozene. FDA is responsible for the enforcement of

pesticide tolerances and food additive regulations. A

raw agricultural commodity or a processed food or

feed is deemed to be unsafe and adulterated, and

subject to FDA enforcement action, if a pesticide

chemical residue for which no tolerance has been set

is present in food. FDA is committed to promoting and

protecting the public health by taking action against

unsafe products, and against products that make claims

that are false and misleading. FDA's mission includes

ensuring the safety or safety and effectiveness of a

broad spectrum of regulated products, including food,

human and animal drugs, vaccines, blood products,

medical devices, devices that emit radiation, and

cosmetics.

####

 

--- < wrote:

 

> Hi George & All,

>

> George Mandler wrote:

> > Now on the topic of heavy metals it is what the

> metal is bound to

> > that matters. When they do these spectroscopy

> tests they can only

> > determine the presence of the metal, not what it

> is bound to. For

> > example methyl-mercury is what is poisonous and

> found in fish etc,

> > however if it is a mercury salt it probably won't

> be absorbed and

> > is a passed out the feces. But the spectroscopy

> cannot

> > differentiate between methyl-mercury and a salt

> form and I'm

> > surprised it wasn't talked about. So either they

> felt it wasn't

> > important or I'm wrong and need to pull out my

> biochem books. my

> > $.02 --george

>

> George, with respect, I must disagree!

>

> Whether deliberately added to herbal forumlas, or

> present as a contaminant,

> mercury, MUST be regarded as potentially toxic. MANY

> chronic conditions in

> humans and animals are due to low-grade (undiagnosed

> by conventional

> methods) Hg poisoning.Low-grade Hg exposure is

> thought to be one of the

> causal factors of autism in children - whether from

> the pregnant mother, or from

> thiomersal/thiomersol-preserved vaccines.

>

> Though different compounds of mercury, and even

> elemental Hg, undoubtedly

> have different coefficients of gastrointestinal

> absorption, even Hg from Hg-

> amalgam in teeth-fillings can get into the blood and

> other tissues. See:

> http://tinyurl.com/3zze9

>

> Below are recent abstracts on HgCl and Hg vapour (in

> dentristry) Hg can be

> absorbed theough the skin, not to mention the g/i

> tract. The last abstract

> estimates the g/i coefficient of absorption of Hg

> vapour (in dentristry) at circa

> 10%.

>

> J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2000;38(7):701-7.

> Transdermal kinetics of a mercurous

> chloride beauty cream: an in vitro human skin

> analysis. Palmer RB, Godwin

> DA, McKinney PE. Department of Pathology, School of

> Medicine, University of

> New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA. robp

> BACKGROUND:

> Crema de Belleza-Manning is a popular mercurous

> chloride-containing beauty

> cream used to smooth and lighten the complexion and

> treat acne. Hundreds of

> people in the Southwestern US border states have

> been identified with elevated

> (>20 microg/L) urine mercury levels believed to be

> secondary to using this

> cream. The kinetic characteristics of percutaneous

> mercury absorption are

> incompletely defined. The objective of this study

> was to determine the

> transdermal kinetics of two formulations of

> mercurous chloride from a beauty

> cream in an in vitro human skin model. METHODS: A

> proprietary formulation

> and an aqueous formulation of the beauty cream were

> studied using modified

> Franz diffusion cells. Mercury content in the skin

> samples and the underlying

> diffusion buffer was determined using atomic

> absorption spectrophotometry.

> RESULTS: A rapid initial increase in mercury content

> both in the skin and the

> buffer was noted for both formulations. Mercury

> concentrations in the aqueous

> samples were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in both

> the skin and the diffusion

> buffer compared to parallel samples containing

> glycerol. CONCLUSIONS:

> Mercury was readily absorbed through the skin in

> this in vitro human skin

> model. The aqueous preparation had a markedly

> increased rate and extent of

> mercury absorption relative to the proprietary

> formulation.PMID: 11192457

> [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1998 Oct;287(1):8-12. DMPS

> (2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-

> sulfonate, dimaval) decreases the body burden of

> mercury in humans exposed

> to mercurous chloride. Gonzalez-Ramirez D,

> Zuniga-Charles M, Narro-Juarez

> A, Molina-Recio Y, Hurlbut KM, Dart RC, Aposhian HV.

> Department of

> Pharmacology,, Centro de Investigacion Biomedica del

> Noreste, Instituto

> Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico. DMPS

> (2,3-

> dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate, Na salt), when used

> as a challenge test for

> mercury in workers involved in the production of a

> calomel skin-bleaching lotion

> and in direct contact with mercurous chloride,

> elevated urine levels of mercury.

> A DMPS treatment regimen was devised and initiated.

> Three days after the

> challenge test, DMPS was administered p.o. (400 mg

> per day) for 8 days,

> followed by a no-treatment period of five days. A

> new cycle of DMPS treatment

> for 7 days was initiated and followed by 5 days

> without treatment. A third period

> of treatment was begun for 6 days, followed by a

> 5-day no-treatment period.

> The urinary mercury greatly increased during those

> periods when DMPS was

> administered (1754, 314, and 173 microgram/24 h for

> the periods 1, 2 and 3,

> compared with 106, 48 and 53 microgram/24 h on the

> corresponding no-

> treatment periods). One of the workers presented

> signs of drug intolerance and

> was discharged after receiving the first cycle of

> treatment. DMPS treatment

> was effective in lowering the body burden of mercury

> and in decreasing the

> urinary mercury concentration to normal levels.

> PMID: 9765315 [PubMed -

> indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> Vet Rec. 1997 May 24;140(21):549-52. Poisoning of

> dairy heifers by mercurous

> chloride. Simpson VR, Stuart NC, Munro R, Hunt A,

> Livesey CT. Lasswade

> Veterinary Laboratory, Penicuick, Midlothian.

> Mercury poisoning was

> diagnosed in four dairy heifers, three of which

> died. The clinical signs were

> variable and included salivation, excessive thirst,

> extreme depression and

> severe diarrhoea. Postmortem examinations revealed

> inflammation and

> ulceration of the alimentary tract, pulmonary and

> cardiac haemorrhages, pallor

> of the kidney cortices and perirenal oedema. The

> kidney mercury

> concentrations were in the range 58 to 91

> micrograms/g wet tissue. It is

> believed that the animals were poisoned by the

> ingestion of soil contaminated

> with mercurous chloride. PMID: 9185311 [PubMed -

> indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> Environ Res. 2002 Mar;88(3):145-55. Metals and

> women's health. Vahter M,

> Berglund M, Akesson A, Liden C. Institute of

> Environmental Medicine,

> Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.

> Marie.Vahter There is a lack of

> information concerning whether environmental-related

> health effects are more or

> less prevalent or manifested differently in women

> compared to men. Previously,

> most research in the area of toxicology and

> environmental and occupational

> health involved male subjects. The present work aims

> at reviewing exposure

> and health effects of cadmium, nickel, lead,

> mercury, and arsenic manifested

> differently in women than in men. The gender

> difference in exposure to nickel

> results in a much higher prevalence of nickel

> allergy and hand eczema in

> women than in men. The internal cadmium dose is

> generally higher in women

> than in men, due to a higher gastro-intestinal

> absorption at low iron stores. This

> was probably one major reason why Itai-itai disease

> was mainly a woman's

> disease. Yet, data are sparse regarding the risk for

> women relative to men to

> develop cadmium-induced kidney damage in populations

> exposed to low levels

> of cadmium. Lead is accumulated mainly in bone and

> increased endogenous

> lead exposure has been demonstrated in women during

> periods of increased

> bone turnover, e.g., menopause. Both lead and

> mercury

=== message truncated ===

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks Phil. When I get a chance I'm going to get in touch with my old

vitamin/mineral metabolism professor and show him these abstracts. I

certainly learned from him that if it were in a salt form it is pretty

stable and would pass out unchanged through the GI. But perhaps this

is just theory in that the conversion to CH3Hg (which would be the

preferred form for GI uptake) wouldn't occur by the gut bacteria

because it is happily bound as a salt.

 

(So how do we explain the historical usage of Zhu Sha, or the usage in

Ayurvedic medicine (although it goes through its 7 purification

processes?) )

 

 

thanks,

george

 

 

 

On Dec 16, 2004, at 11:26 PM, wrote:

 

>

> Hi George & All,

>

> George Mandler wrote:

>> Now on the topic of heavy metals it is what the metal is bound to

>> that matters. When they do these spectroscopy tests they can only

>> determine the presence of the metal, not what it is bound to. For

>> example methyl-mercury is what is poisonous and found in fish etc,

>> however if it is a mercury salt it probably won't be absorbed and

>> is a passed out the feces. But the spectroscopy cannot

>> differentiate between methyl-mercury and a salt form and I'm

>> surprised it wasn't talked about. So either they felt it wasn't

>> important or I'm wrong and need to pull out my biochem books. my

>> $.02 --george

>

> George, with respect, I must disagree!

>

> Whether deliberately added to herbal forumlas, or present as a

> contaminant,

> mercury, MUST be regarded as potentially toxic. MANY chronic

> conditions in

> humans and animals are due to low-grade (undiagnosed by conventional

> methods) Hg poisoning.Low-grade Hg exposure is thought to be one of the

> causal factors of autism in children - whether from the pregnant

> mother, or from

> thiomersal/thiomersol-preserved vaccines.

>

> Though different compounds of mercury, and even elemental Hg,

> undoubtedly

> have different coefficients of gastrointestinal absorption, even Hg

> from Hg-

> amalgam in teeth-fillings can get into the blood and other tissues.

> See:

> http://tinyurl.com/3zze9

>

> Below are recent abstracts on HgCl and Hg vapour (in dentristry) Hg

> can be

> absorbed theough the skin, not to mention the g/i tract. The last

> abstract

> estimates the g/i coefficient of absorption of Hg vapour (in

> dentristry) at circa

> 10%.

>

> J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2000;38(7):701-7. Transdermal kinetics of a

> mercurous

> chloride beauty cream: an in vitro human skin analysis. Palmer RB,

> Godwin

> DA, McKinney PE. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine,

> University of

> New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA. robp BACKGROUND:

> Crema de Belleza-Manning is a popular mercurous chloride-containing

> beauty

> cream used to smooth and lighten the complexion and treat acne.

> Hundreds of

> people in the Southwestern US border states have been identified with

> elevated

> (>20 microg/L) urine mercury levels believed to be secondary to using

> this

> cream. The kinetic characteristics of percutaneous mercury absorption

> are

> incompletely defined. The objective of this study was to determine the

> transdermal kinetics of two formulations of mercurous chloride from a

> beauty

> cream in an in vitro human skin model. METHODS: A proprietary

> formulation

> and an aqueous formulation of the beauty cream were studied using

> modified

> Franz diffusion cells. Mercury content in the skin samples and the

> underlying

> diffusion buffer was determined using atomic absorption

> spectrophotometry.

> RESULTS: A rapid initial increase in mercury content both in the skin

> and the

> buffer was noted for both formulations. Mercury concentrations in the

> aqueous

> samples were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in both the skin and the

> diffusion

> buffer compared to parallel samples containing glycerol. CONCLUSIONS:

> Mercury was readily absorbed through the skin in this in vitro human

> skin

> model. The aqueous preparation had a markedly increased rate and

> extent of

> mercury absorption relative to the proprietary formulation.PMID:

> 11192457

> [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1998 Oct;287(1):8-12. DMPS

> (2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-

> sulfonate, dimaval) decreases the body burden of mercury in humans

> exposed

> to mercurous chloride. Gonzalez-Ramirez D, Zuniga-Charles M,

> Narro-Juarez

> A, Molina-Recio Y, Hurlbut KM, Dart RC, Aposhian HV. Department of

> Pharmacology,, Centro de Investigacion Biomedica del Noreste, Instituto

> Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico. DMPS (2,3-

> dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate, Na salt), when used as a challenge test

> for

> mercury in workers involved in the production of a calomel

> skin-bleaching lotion

> and in direct contact with mercurous chloride, elevated urine levels

> of mercury.

> A DMPS treatment regimen was devised and initiated. Three days after

> the

> challenge test, DMPS was administered p.o. (400 mg per day) for 8 days,

> followed by a no-treatment period of five days. A new cycle of DMPS

> treatment

> for 7 days was initiated and followed by 5 days without treatment. A

> third period

> of treatment was begun for 6 days, followed by a 5-day no-treatment

> period.

> The urinary mercury greatly increased during those periods when DMPS

> was

> administered (1754, 314, and 173 microgram/24 h for the periods 1, 2

> and 3,

> compared with 106, 48 and 53 microgram/24 h on the corresponding no-

> treatment periods). One of the workers presented signs of drug

> intolerance and

> was discharged after receiving the first cycle of treatment. DMPS

> treatment

> was effective in lowering the body burden of mercury and in decreasing

> the

> urinary mercury concentration to normal levels. PMID: 9765315 [PubMed -

> indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> Vet Rec. 1997 May 24;140(21):549-52. Poisoning of dairy heifers by

> mercurous

> chloride. Simpson VR, Stuart NC, Munro R, Hunt A, Livesey CT.

> Lasswade

> Veterinary Laboratory, Penicuick, Midlothian. Mercury poisoning was

> diagnosed in four dairy heifers, three of which died. The clinical

> signs were

> variable and included salivation, excessive thirst, extreme depression

> and

> severe diarrhoea. Postmortem examinations revealed inflammation and

> ulceration of the alimentary tract, pulmonary and cardiac

> haemorrhages, pallor

> of the kidney cortices and perirenal oedema. The kidney mercury

> concentrations were in the range 58 to 91 micrograms/g wet tissue. It

> is

> believed that the animals were poisoned by the ingestion of soil

> contaminated

> with mercurous chloride. PMID: 9185311 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> Environ Res. 2002 Mar;88(3):145-55. Metals and women's health. Vahter

> M,

> Berglund M, Akesson A, Liden C. Institute of Environmental Medicine,

> Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Marie.Vahter There is a lack

> of

> information concerning whether environmental-related health effects

> are more or

> less prevalent or manifested differently in women compared to men.

> Previously,

> most research in the area of toxicology and environmental and

> occupational

> health involved male subjects. The present work aims at reviewing

> exposure

> and health effects of cadmium, nickel, lead, mercury, and arsenic

> manifested

> differently in women than in men. The gender difference in exposure to

> nickel

> results in a much higher prevalence of nickel allergy and hand eczema

> in

> women than in men. The internal cadmium dose is generally higher in

> women

> than in men, due to a higher gastro-intestinal absorption at low iron

> stores. This

> was probably one major reason why Itai-itai disease was mainly a

> woman's

> disease. Yet, data are sparse regarding the risk for women relative to

> men to

> develop cadmium-induced kidney damage in populations exposed to low

> levels

> of cadmium. Lead is accumulated mainly in bone and increased endogenous

> lead exposure has been demonstrated in women during periods of

> increased

> bone turnover, e.g., menopause. Both lead and mercury exposure in

> pregnant

> women has to be kept low in order to prevent neurodevelopment effects

> in the

> developing fetus and child. Limited data indicate that women are more

> affected

> than men following exposure to methylmercury at adult age, while males

> seem

> to be more sensitive to exposure during early development. Regarding

> arsenic,

> some data indicate gender differences in the biotransformation by

> methylation,

> possibly also in susceptibility to certain arsenic-related cancers.

> Obviously,

> gender-related differences in exposure and health effects caused by

> metals are

> highly neglected research areas, which need considerable focus in the

> future.

> © 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). Publication Types: Review Review,

> Tutorial

> PMID: 12051792 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> J Dent Res. 1992 Feb;71(2):414-23. Daily dose calculations from

> measurements of intra-oral mercury vapor. Olsson S, Bergman M.

> Department

> of Dental Materials and Technology, Faculty of Odontology, University

> of Umea,

> Sweden. Measurements of intra-oral mercury vapor from amalgam

> fillings are

> discussed. It was shown that the only quantity which it is possible to

> measure

> is the mercury release rate, and that the concentrations of mercury

> vapor in the

> oral cavity published in most earlier studies are the mercury

> concentrations in

> the measuring cell of the measuring apparatus and not the

> concentrations in

> the oral cavity. The consequences for the daily dose equations of the

> facts that

> the mercury source is present inside the oral cavity and that the

> amount of

> mercury released during a certain time is limited are discussed. It

> was found

> that most daily dose equations used have a questionable mercury

> distribution

> on inspiration, expiration, and swallowing. Re-calculations of almost

> all the

> available daily dose data showed a mean daily dose value of about 1.3

> micrograms Hg/day (range, 0.3-2.2 micrograms Hg/day). The mean

> swallowed

> amount of mercury from intra-oral mercury vapor was calculated as

> being in the

> order of 10 micrograms Hg/day (range, 2.4-17 micrograms Hg/day),

> resulting in

> an estimated absorption of about 1 microgram Hg/day from the

> gastro-intestinal

> tract. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 1556301

> [PubMed -

> indexed for MEDLINE]

>

>

>

>

> Best regards,

>

> Email: <

[Guest guest]

Hi All, & George,

 

George Mandler wrote:

> Thanks Phil. I certainly learned ... that if [mercury] were in a

> salt form it is pretty stable and would pass out unchanged through

> the GI. But perhaps this is just theory in that the conversion to

> CH3Hg (which would be the preferred form for GI uptake) wouldn't

> occur by the gut bacteria because it is happily bound as a salt.

 

My research over the past 40 years has been mainly with mineral

and metabolic disorders in animals.

 

Very few minerals are totally unabsorbable, but coefficient of

absorption can vary from <2 to >95%, depending on the mineral or

compound, solubility, ionisation, complexing with amino-acids, etc.

 

IMO, mercury compounds are cumulative, and can be potent

toxins. They must be used medically with great caution. If suitable

alternatives are available, they should not be used at all.

 

> So how do we explain the historical usage of Zhu Sha, or the usage

> in Ayurvedic medicine (although it goes through its 7 purification

> processes? George

 

The primitive medicine practised in Europe some hundreds of years ago used

compounds of many poisonous minerals - antimony, mercury, arsenic, lead,

etc. Practitioners who used those methods probably did untold harm.

 

I cannot explain why CHM still uses dangerous agents when there are so many

other alternatives avilable. I personally would NOT use formulas with Zhusha,

EVEN IF the Law allowed that. IMO, the risk to the patient is not acceptable.

 

Here is one note on Cinnabar (Zhusha) from:

http://www.tcmtreatment.com/herbs/0-zhusha.htm

 

Cinnabaris Properties: It is sweet in flavour, cold in nature and poisonous,

acting on the heart channel, clearing away heat, mainly clearing away sthenic

fire-syndrome of heart channel, tranquilizing the mind.

 

It is used for treatment of irritability, insomnia and dreaminess due to

overabundance of heart-fire and excess of Yang. It has the action of clearing

away the heat and detoxication and can treat sore throat and canker.

 

Effects: Tranquilizing the mind and clearing heat and toxins.

 

Indications: 1. For irritability, insomnia due to exuberant heart-fire, it is

often

used with Rhizoma Coptidis, dried Radix Rehmannice and Radix Glycyrrhizae,

as in Cinnabar Sedative Bolus (Zhusha Anshen Wan) to clear away heart-fire

and tranquilize the mind. In cases of high fever and delirium and

unconsciousness resulting from high fever or invasion of heat and warm into

blood of the ying system, it should be used with heat-clearing, blood-cooling,

detoxicating and anticonvulsive drugs, such as horn rhnocerotis, Radix

Paeoniae Rubra, Calculus Bovis Rhizoma Coptidis.

 

2. To treat sore throat and canker sores of mouth and tongue due to sthenic fire

and heat-toxin, it can be mixed with Borneolum, Borax and Natrh Sulfus

Exsiccatus, and ground into powder as in Powder of Borneal and Borax (Bing

Peng San) for external use. For sores, carbuncles and other pyogenic

diseases, it is often used together with detoxicating drugs such as Realgar,

Rhizoma Pieionis, and Dangmenzi such as Zijinding.

 

In addition, cinnabar is an antiseptic and can used to make pill coating for

preservation. [Does this remind you of Thiomersal!!]

 

Dosage and Administration: 0.3-1.0g, ground into powder, to be infused for oral

use. It also be used in pill or powder. Proper dosage for external use.

 

Precautions: Overdosage should be avoided. Intoxication may result in long-

term oral administration. Preparing by direct fire is prohibited.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Email: <

 

WORK : Teagasc, c/o 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Mobile: 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

 

HOME : 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

WWW : http://homepage.eircom.net/~progers/searchap.htm

 

Chinese Proverb: " Man who says it can't be done, should not interrupt man doing

it "

[Guest guest]

Hi George,

 

You wrote;

 

" >

> (So how do we explain the historical usage of Zhu Sha, or the usage

in

> Ayurvedic medicine (although it goes through its 7 purification

> processes?) ) "

 

Basically in Ayurveda, to the best of my knowledge, " cinnabar " is

used in two forms; as mined and with minor purifications (washing,

drying, trituration with lemon juice etc.) and reconstituted by

combining purified mercury with purified sulfur (what you refer to as

the 7 stage process.

 

When I studied ayurvedic alchemy in India, I had the opportuninty to

work mercury to some extent. Silly me, I tried " safe amounts " of the

" 7 stage process " preparation and even the mercury used in the

preparation thereof , got bloodwork and other tests done and did not

get results that showed any damage.

 

This having been said, although these preparations can be used

as " rejuvenation " and " re-animation " drugs and , while doing some

clinical observation I saw them used , with some success as such.

 

However, due to dire circumstances, I recently had to use a TCM

reanimation formula. It worked just as well, with no metals in it.

BTW, " re-animation " is not my favourite passtime and I hope never to

have to do this again. like the young people would say, TCM rules !

 

In India, the person who prepares such medicines is usually at the

doctorate level and specializes in such. I do not practice Ayurveda

although I learned enough of it to understand the terminology used in

rasa shastra.

 

On occasion, I prepare formulas containing Zhu sha for China trained

physicians. In these cases, I purify the cinnabar in the Ayurvedic

fashion. They tell me it works just as well.

 

However, there is a difference in between administering Zhu Sha in a

pill versus a decoction. In a decoction or medicinal liquor

preparation, the Zhu Sha also modifies some of the phytochemicals

that are extracted.

 

The other thing that should be said is that there is really no

standard preparation methods for most bhasmas. In their lab

settings, there scrolls on the walls in sanskrit with many

alternatives. And yes, there is the method of taking a pinch of the

preparation and it should appear on the finger as chalk so you can

see your finger print and taking a pinch and dropping it in water and

it should float.

 

That's fine and dandy; however, the oxide of arsenic, with some

fairly minor manipulations, will do the same. And arsenic is used

extensively in the preparation of most bhasmas, exept for zinc and

iron.

 

I have also found out that outside of India, relatively few Ayurvedic

physicians use bhasmas as a major part of their pharmacopee.

 

Cheers,

 

Dr. G.

[Guest guest]

Hi Phil,

 

You wrote;

 

" The primitive medicine practised in Europe some hundreds of years

ago used compounds of many poisonous minerals - antimony, mercury,

arsenic, lead, etc. Practitioners who used those methods probably did

untold harm. "

 

In some cases, notably Paracelsus and Basil Valentine, a metalic

oxide prepared in a fashion similar to that used in India was used in

a process akin to esterification where a solvent was circulated

overthe metalic salts and subsequently sublimated at low temp to

produce an ester like substance that was used medicinally.

Real " potable gold " is such a substance.

 

Considering the limited herbal pharmacopia they had to work with, I

would not call all of such medicine " primitive " as they managed to do

some fairly clever things that ultimately led to some of the good

medicines we have today. What was being done in Europe was an

attempt to increaser the number of therapeutic substances available

to physicians who were at a disadvantage to their eatern cousins due

to the limited European pharmacopia.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Dr. G.