Mercury in Human Hair: A Study of Residents in Madrid, Spain

Abstract

The mercury content in hair of the population in Madrid (chosen randomly) was in the range of 1.29-129.47 micrograms/g (geometric mean = 7.96 micrograms/g). The mean mercury content in hair of occupationally exposed workers was 12.70 micrograms/g (range = 2.91-65.43 micrograms/g). The highest means, which were found in two families (i.e., 67.89 micrograms/g and 92.47 micrograms/g, Families A and B, respectively), probably resulted from external factors. No statistically significant variations in the mercury concentrations in hair were found with regard to sex, age, or dental fillings. A significant correlation (r = 0.785; P less than .01) was found between the concentration of the total mercury found in nursing infants and their mothers.

Effect of sex on levels of metals and metalloids in adolescents’ hair in Alcalá de Henares, Spain

“…Similarly the geometric mean of total Hg determined in the hair of the adolescents recruited in this study (0.43 μg/g; Table 1) is lower than that described by Gonzalez et al (1985) in the general population of Madrid (7.96 μg/g). However, this could be attributed to the higher age range studied by these authors.…”

Epidemiologic Study on the Association between Body Burden Mercury Level and Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease

“…It had been sug gested that mercury-binding proteins may undergo changes with age and therefore me tallic chelating abilities may be altered as a result. Lower hair mercury levels found in older humans in other studies could indicate a change in either the protein metabolite or the synthetic ability necessary for hair growth [36]. Therefore, measuring mercury in elderly scalp hair may not be a good indi cator of the overall extent of mercury expo sure; besides, it is only an indirect indicator of actual body burden mercury [22], It was found that only 16% of cases and 15 % of controls were occupationally exposed to mercury based upon criteria established earlier [29,30].…”

“…It was found that scalp hair mercury is a poor predictor of PD risk (table 4), probably because of changes in nutrition as age in creases [36]. We studied subjects of an aver age age around 65 years.…”

Metals (Hg, Pb, Cu, and Zn) Bioaccumulation in Sediment, Fish, and Human Scalp Hair: A Case Study from the City of Mersin Along the Southern Coast of Turkey

“…Hair as a biological tissue is unique in respect that it serves as an accumulator for trace elements, and in addition, it is formed in relatively short period of time and remains isolated from the metabolic events in the human body and its metal content can reflect the body status for a long period [34,37,38]. Once mercury has been accumulated into the hair, its concentration does not change significantly, whereas mercury contents in blood and urine can only reflect very recent exposures [39]. Because of the simplicity of sampling, storing, and handling, human hair is an attractive biological material for determining the body's trace element status either for nutritional, toxicological, or clinical diagnostic purposes [40,41].…”