Attempted suicide by self-injection of elemental mercury must be a very rare event. In the New England Journal of Medicine for June 15, a case is described in which a 21-year-old woman working as a dental assistant gave herself an intravenous injection of 135g of mercury. When she was examined in hospital she exhibited rapid breathing, with a dry cough and bloody sputum. Her partial pressure of oxygen while breathing room air was 86mm Hg, within the normal range. A radiographic examination of the patient's chest showed distribution of mercury throughout the lungs, with a higher concentration towards the bases. The lung symptoms improved rapidly and after one week the patient was discharged from hospital.
In order to hasten elimination of mercury, the patient was treated orally for nine months with the chelating agent dimercaprol. However, during that period urinary excretion of the metal did not increase. By the 10th month the woman was pronounced healthy and free from renal gastrointestinal and neurological after-effects. Some abnormalities in her chest radiographs persisted longer.
The lack of severe toxic effects of elemental mercury in this incident contrasts strongly with the observed effect produced by exposure to inorganic and organic mercury compounds, in particular organic derivatives such as dimethylmercury.