Mercury Exposure from Interior Latex Paint

To the Editor: Agocs and coworkers (Oct. 18 issue) 1 report that mercury vapor released from latex paint can produce a median concentration of 10 nmol of mercury per cubic meter of room air, or 10 nmol per 1000 liters (2 μg per 1000 liters). If one assumes 0.5 liter per breath, 12 breaths per minute, and eight hours of work or sleep in the room, 2880 liters of air would be respired during an eight-hour period of exposure. Therefore, the total amount of mercury vaporizing from paint that would be available for inhalation is approximately 29 nmol (5.8 μg), which . . .