Validity of Methyl Mercury Hair Analysis: Mercury Monitoring in Human Scalp/Nude Mouse Model

The study demonstrated that human scalp hair grafted onto athymic BALB/c nude mice could effectively record methyl mercury exposure, validating this model for mercury monitoring in hair. Mice were exposed to methyl mercury either as a single dose or continuously for 4 months. The mercury concentration in hair was measured using x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and tissue concentrations were measured by cold vapor atomic absorption analysis. Results showed that methyl mercury was rapidly incorporated into hair follicles and that hair mercury concentrations were significantly higher than in blood, with a mean hair: blood ratio of 217:1, similar to human studies. This model proved to be a valuable tool for studying mercury incorporation into human hair.