will increase the excretion of cadmium, there is a concomitant increase in renal cadmium concentration, so that its use in case of cadmium toxicity is to be avoided. It does, however, remove inorganic mercury from the kidneys; but is not useful in the treatment of alkylmercury or phenylmercury toxicity. Dimercaprol also enhances the toxicity of selenium and tellurium, so it is not to be used to remove these elements from the body. History The original name of dimercaprol reflects its origins as a compound secretly developed by British biochemists at Oxford University in the beginning of the World War II, with the first synthesis in July 1940 as an antidote for lewisite, a now-obsolete arsenic-based chemical warfare agent. See also EDTA 2,3-Dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid Dimercaptosuccinic acid DMSA scan Penicillamine Heavy metal poisoning References External links Primary alcohols Antidotes Chelating agents Thiols World Health Organization essential medicines Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate