We report the severe mercury poisoning of a 4-year-old child by a so far unknownroute of exposure, namely, by skin-to-skin contact. The child was admitted tothe hospital with episodic pain in his extremities, tachycardia, hypertension,increased sweating, behavioral changes and weight loss. Extensive examinationseventually revealed an acute mercury poisoning. The initial mercury levels were19 µg/L in urine (reference level 0.4 µg/L) and 37 µg/L in blood (referencelevel 0.8 µg/L). A facial cream bought online, containing approximately 18%mercury, was identified as the primary source of intoxication. The symptomsimproved after disposal of the cream and chelation therapy. Further analyses,home visits and interviews suggested that the child was accidently intoxicatedby skin-to-skin contact with the mother, although other routes of exposure suchas dust ingestion and surface-to-skin contact cannot be excluded. The mercurylevels in urine and blood samples of the child and other family members as wellas in domestic dust samples decreased considerably over time.
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