PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - M D Martin AU - C Naleway TI - The inhibition of mercury absorption by dietary ethanol in humans: cross-sectional and case-control studies AID - 10.1136/oem.2003.007542 DP - 2004 Feb 01 TA - Occupational and Environmental Medicine PG - e8--e8 VI - 61 IP - 2 4099 - http://oem.bmj.com/content/61/2/e8.short 4100 - http://oem.bmj.com/content/61/2/e8.full SO - Occup Environ Med2004 Feb 01; 61 AB - Background: Since the inhibition of mercury absorption by ethanol was serendipitously discovered in 1965,1 a limited number of small number studies with both animal and human subjects have reported results consistent with this finding. Aims: To investigate this phenomenon in a large scale human study with low level Hg exposed dentists. Methods: Data were collected for a sample of 1171dentists, and both cross sectional and case-control methods were utilised to examine the data. Results: Abstainers (n = 345) had significantly higher urinary mercury concentrations (HgU) than drinkers (n = 826): 5.4 μg/l v 4.8 μg/l. Multiple linear regression showed a significant effect of ethanol dose on HgU after adjusting for potential confounders. A case-control analysis in which cases were defined as those individuals with urinary Hg concentrations of ⩾15 μg/l (≈ top 5%), and controls as those with concentrations of <1.0 μg/l (≈ bottom 5%), showed a clear protective dose-response relation; there was a decreasing risk of being a “case” (having an HgU ⩾15 μg/l) with increasing ethanol consumption. The significance of the adjusted model is p<0.001, and the χ2 test for trend across ethanol consumption categories in the adjusted model is p<0.05, confirming the dose-response relation. Conclusion: We believe that this straightforward investigation provides the first specific confirmation in a large scale human study of the inhibitory effect of ethanol on urinary mercury concentration, and by inference, on mercury absorption.