| 1 | These peaks correspond to side-chain cleavage of the ethyl and propyl groups respectively . | |
| 2 | In particular, the half-life of ethyl mercury is short (less than one week) compared with that of methyl mercury (1.5 months). | |
| 3 | However, thiomersal contains ethyl mercury, not methyl mercury, and ethyl and methyl mercury are quite different. | |
| 4 | In particular, ethyl mercury decomposes much more quickly than methyl mercury and does not accumulate in the body. | |
| 5 | The half-life of ethyl mercury is short (less than one week) compared to methyl mercury (1.5 months) making exposure to ethyl mercury in blood comparatively brief. |