Bagel Libre
← Occupational toxicology & industrial hygiene

Heavy metals: mercury and arsenic

Occupational mercury and arsenic toxicology. Mercury: chemical forms (elemental vapor, inorganic salts, methylmercury), neurological effects (tremor, erethism), nephrotoxicity, biomarkers, chelation. Arsenic: occupational exposure (smelting, semiconductor), dermatologic findings (hyperkeratosis, Mees lines), peripheral neuropathy, and arsenic-related cancers.

A patient with chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic presents with skin findings. Which of the following best describes the characteristic dermatologic triad used as clinical markers of chronic arsenicism?

A.Hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles, hyperkeratotic corns or warts, and spotted ("raindrop") hyperpigmentation.
B.Diffuse erythroderma, splinter hemorrhages, and scaling of the scalp.
C.Perioral dermatitis, leukonychia totalis, and palmoplantar telangiectasias.
D.Porphyria cutanea tarda, chloracne, and hypertrichosis.