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A New Cutaneous Sign of Mercury Poisoning
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TO THE EDITOR:
Background: Long-term mercury poisoning is becoming a major health problem because of the extreme toxicity of mercury and its extensive pollution in the environment. However, mercury poisoning is difficult to diagnose. I report on 11 patients who contracted mercury poisoning by eating seafood. In these patients, poisoning manifested with a specific eruption characterized by nonpruritic, discrete, flesh-colored or slightly erythematous papules and papulovesicles. These lesions were small (≤ 1 mm in diameter) and correlated with serum mercury levels; they resolved when mercury levels decreased.
Results: The patients ranged in age from 25 to 75 years, and duration of the eruption before diagnosis and initiation of treatment ranged from 1 week to 2 years (Table). Two patients had noncutaneous symptoms, including …
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