Vol. 287, Issue 1, 8-12, October 1998

DMPS (2,3-Dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate, Dimaval) Decreases the Body Burden of Mercury in Humans Exposed to Mercurous Chloride¹

Diego Gonzalez-Ramirez, Miguel Zuniga-Charles, Antonio Narro-Juarez, Yolanda Molina-Recio, Katherine M. Hurlbut, Richard C. Dart and H. Vasken Aposhian

Department of Pharmacology, (D.G-R, M.Z-C, A.N-J, Y.M-R), Centro de Investigacion Biomedica del Noreste, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico; Rocky Mountain Poison Center (K.M.H., R.C.D.), Denver, Colorado and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (H.V.A.), University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

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 µg/24 h for the periods 1, 2 and 3, compared with 106, 48 and 53 µg/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.