Mercury and its compounds: Evaluation of the effects on reproduction, recommendation for classificat

On request of the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, the Health Council of the Netherlands evaluates the effects on the reproduction of substances at the workplace. The Health Council’s Committee for Compounds Toxic to Reproduction recommends to classify compounds toxic to reproduction according to the Directive 93/21/EEC of the European Union. In the present report the committee has reviewed mercury and its compounds.

The committee’s recommendations are:

Mercury (metallic)

• for effects on fertility, the committee recommends no classification of metallic mercury, due to lack of data

• for developmental toxicity, the committee recommends to classify metallic mercury in category 2 (substances which should be regarded as if they impair fertility in humans) and to label metallic mercury with R61

• the committee is of the opinion that a lack of appropriate data precludes the labelling of metallic mercury for effects during lactation.

Methylmercury

• for effects on fertility, the committee recommends no classification of methylmercury, due to lack of data

• for developmental toxicity, the committee recommends to classify methylmercury in category 1 (substances known to cause developmental toxicity in humans) and labelled with R61

• for effects during lactation, the committee recommends that methylmercury should be labelled with R64 (may cause harm to breastfed babies).

Phenylmercury acetate

• for effects on fertility, the committee recommends no classification of phenylmercury acetate, due to lack of data

• for developmental toxicity, the committee recommends no classification of phenylmercury acetat, due to lack of data

• the committee is of the opinion that a lack of appropriate data precludes the labelling of phenylmercury acetate for effects during lactation.

Mercuric chloride/mercuric nitrate

• for effects on fertility, the committee recommends no classification of mercuric chloride/mercuric nitrate, due to lack of data

• for developmental toxicity, the committee recommends no classification of mercuric chloride/mercuric nitrate, due to lack of data

• the committee is of the opinion that a lack of appropriate data precludes the labelling of mercuric chloride and nitrate for effects during lactation.

Committee