CASE-REPORT OF METALLIC MERCURY INJURY

Objective: Injury and poisoning from metallic mercury has become a rar e event, Review of the literature and a case report of pediatric metal lic mercury injury are presented. Design: A case report. Setting: The Emergency Department at St, Louis Children's Hospital. Patients or par ticipants: A 15-year-old boy. Interventions: None. Main outcome measur es: None. Results: The 15-year-old boy fell on a broken mercury thermo meter. A subcutaneous abscess formed on his left forearm during the ne xt five days, He had no signs or symptoms of mercury toxicity. His wou nd was debrided in the operating room and healed completely after seve ral months. Conclusions: This case shows elemental mercury from a ther mometer as a potential, if unusual, source of mercury toxicity.