Determination of mercury in head hair of Brazilian populational groups by neutron activation analysis

Vasconcellos, M. B. A.; Saiki, M.; Paletti, G.; Pinheiro, R.; Baruzzi, Roberto Geraldo; Spindel, Renato

doi:10.1007/bf02040173

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Without considering the studies from the Tapajós and Madeira Rivers, which will be explained in detail below, the highest mercury levels can be found in the Negro River basin [61,62] and at the lakes from the Amapá State (Figure 1; Tables 3, 4, 5) [63], with means above 20 μg/g and even higher than 25 μg/g. These high values can also be found in two other sites from the Xingu and Tocantins Rivers, both from Amerindian reservations (Figure 1) [51,64-68]. These levels can be considered of a high risk for the populations and would merit further investigations about the health impact of this exposure.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Amazonian riverside populations, which are amongst the highest fish consumers in the world, are exposed to mercury because of their alimentary habits. This situation has been widely studied in Brazil and French Guyana since the late eighties, showing quite complete information about the determinants of mercury exposure in these riverside populations [ 38 , 44 - 51 ]. However, there is an evident lack of data in the rest of the Amazonian countries, where there have been a few isolated studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hair mercury levels in Amazonian populations: spatial distribution and trends

Barbieri

Gardon

2009

International Journal of Health Geographics

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BackgroundMercury is present in the Amazonian aquatic environments from both natural and anthropogenic sources. As a consequence, many riverside populations are exposed to methylmercury, a highly toxic organic form of mercury, because of their intense fish consumption. Many studies have analysed this exposure from different approaches since the early nineties. This review aims to systematize the information in spatial distribution, comparing hair mercury levels by studied population and Amazonian river basin, looking for exposure trends.MethodsThe reviewed papers were selected from scientific databases and online libraries. We included studies with a direct measure of hair mercury concentrations in a sample size larger than 10 people, without considering the objectives, approach of the study or mercury speciation. The results are presented in tables and maps by river basin, displaying hair mercury levels and specifying the studied population and health impact, if any.ResultsThe majority of the studies have been carried out in communities from the central Amazonian regions, particularly on the Tapajós River basin. The results seem quite variable; hair mercury means range from 1.1 to 34.2 μg/g. Most studies did not show any significant difference in hair mercury levels by gender or age. Overall, authors emphasized fish consumption frequency as the main risk factor of exposure. The most studied adverse health effect is by far the neurological performance, especially motricity. However, it is not possible to conclude on the relation between hair mercury levels and health impact in the Amazonian situation because of the relatively small number of studies.ConclusionsHair mercury levels in the Amazonian regions seem to be very heterogenic, depending on several factors. There is no obvious spatial trend and there are many areas that have never been studied. Taking into account the low mercury levels currently handled as acceptable, the majority of the Amazonian populations can be considered exposed to methylmercury contamination. The situation for many of these traditional communities is very complex because of their high dependence on fish nutrients. It remains difficult to conclude on the Public Health implication of mercury exposure in this context.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hair mercury levels in Amazonian populations: spatial distribution and trends

Barbieri

Gardon

2009

International Journal of Health Geographics

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“…Some Amazonian riverine populations have high hair mercury levels, attributed to a diet based on fish, the main source of protein 31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40 . Current international efforts (UNIDO, IBRD, USEPA) to lower mercury emissions or replace mercury with harmless substances are expected to reduce methylmercury accumulation in aquatic ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%