Mercury Levels in Pristine and Gold Mining Impacted Aquatic Ecosystems of Suriname, South America

Ouboter, Paul E.; Landburg, Gwendolyn; Quik, Jan H. M.; Mol, Jan H.; Lugt, Frank van der

doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0299-9

Cited by 46 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…These levels are well above international accepted standards and in certain regions, up to seven times the norm for human consumption. 24 Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from fish consumption may offer neuroprotective benefits during prenatal and paediatric development which could potentially counteract Hg neurotoxicity. 25–27 Some studies examining developmental trajectories of children born to women exposed to Hg in utero fail to link that exposure to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, suggesting that fish nutrients may ameliorate Hg toxicity and offer neuroprotective benefits.…”

Section: Cohort Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) Cohort Study: influences of complex environmental exposures on maternal and child health in Suriname

Zijlmans¹,

Wickliffe

Hindori-Mohangoo

et al. 2020

BMJ Open

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PurposeThe Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health prospective environmental epidemiologic cohort study addresses the impact of chemical and non-chemical environmental exposures on mother/child dyads in Suriname. The study determines associations between levels of environmental elements and toxicants in pregnant women, and birth outcomes and neurodevelopment in their children.ParticipantsPregnant women (N=1143) were enrolled from December 2016 to July 2019 from three regions of Suriname: Paramaribo (N=738), Nickerie (N=204) and the tropical rainforest interior (N=201). Infants (N=992) were enrolled at birth. Follow-up will take place until children are 48 months old.Findings to dateBiospecimens and questionnaire data on physiological and psychosocial health in pregnant women have been analysed. 39.1% had hair mercury (Hg) levels exceeding values considered safe by international standards. Median hair Hg concentrations in women from Paramaribo (N=522) were 0.64 µg/g hair (IQRs 0.36–1.09; range 0.00–7.12), from Nickerie (N=176) 0.73 µg/g (IQR 0.45–1.05; range 0.00–5.79) and the interior (N=178) 3.48 µg/g (IQR 1.92–7.39; range 0.38–18.20). 96.1% of women ate fish, respective consumption of the three most consumed carnivorous species, Hoplias aimara, Serrasalmus rhombeus and Cichla ocellaris, known to have high Hg levels, was 44.4%, 19.3% and 26.3%, respectively, and was greater among the interior subcohort. 89% frequently consumed the vegetable tannia, samples of which showed presence of worldwide banned pesticides. 24.9% of pregnant women had Edinburgh Depression Scale scores indicative of probable depression.Future plansFish consumption advisories are in development, especially relevant to interior women for whom fish consumption is likely to be the primary source of Hg exposure. Effects of potentially beneficial neuroprotective factors in fish that may counter neurotoxic effects of Hg are being examined. A pesticide literacy assessment in pregnant women is in progress. Neurodevelopmental assessments and telomere length measurements of the children to evaluate long-term effects of prenatal exposures to toxicant mixtures are ongoing.

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Section: Cohort Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) Cohort Study: influences of complex environmental exposures on maternal and child health in Suriname

Zijlmans¹,

Wickliffe

Hindori-Mohangoo

et al. 2020

BMJ Open

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“…Natural off-gassing of mercury from the Earth’s crust is a primary source in the atmosphere [ 13 ]. Anthropogenic sources include mining, smelting, combustion of coal, industrial processes that require mercury, as well as historical and current operations in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector [ 2 , 13 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Mercury is transported atmospherically on a global scale, and is readily deposited through dry and wet processes [ 2 , 13 , 37 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury Levels in Women and Children from Interior Villages in Suriname, South America

Ouboter

Landburg

Satnarain

et al. 2018

IJERPH

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Natural sources of mercury, historical gold mining, and contemporary artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activities have led to mercury contamination in Suriname. Our primary objective was to evaluate mercury levels in hair of women and children from interior villages in Suriname where mercury levels in fish are elevated. We also estimated blood levels of mercury using an established mathematical conversion to facilitate comparison with other biomonitoring programs in the United States. Estimated levels of mercury in the blood of participants from Suriname were significantly higher than those in women from a heavy marine fish-consuming population in southeast Louisiana and estimates of the US national average. This includes women from Surinamese villages well upstream of ASGM activities. Since residents in these areas rely heavily on local fish, this is likely the source of their exposure to mercury. The levels in hair are similar to those seen in women from longitudinal studies finding neurological impairments in children exposed pre- and postnatally. Additional biomonitoring and neurodevelopmental assessments are warranted in these areas, as well as other areas of the Suriname. Mercury levels in hair (Suriname) and blood (southeast LA USA) were determined using cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CVAAS).

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“…The mercury is then cooked in containers releasing vaporized mercury into the atmosphere and surrounding environments 2 . Vaporised mercury can eventually ends up in the soil and river systems through natural elements such as the hydrological cycle whereby it is converted into methyl mercury thus contaminating fish predominantly 3 . Within the Wau and Bulolo area of Morobe province in PNG this is a normal practice and although ASSM has been in PNG for decades 4 ; no assessments have been done to assess the risks to human health either from dietary exposure or environmental exposure to organic mercury.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 Reto C (2002). 3 Ouboter E Paul, L. A. G., Quik M H Jan, Mol A H Jan, and Van der Lugt Frank (2012). 4 Moretti D (2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alluvial Gold Mining Sites as Exposure Pathways for Methyl Mercury Toxicity in Children: A Systematic Review

Begani¹,

Begani²

2017

Health

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Extensive studies have showed that alluvial gold mining is a predisposing factor for mercury toxicity through occupational exposure. In our systematic review of related literature, we aim to determine if children of alluvial gold miners were at risk of exposure to methyl mercury toxicity through dietary exposure. This was achieved through applying Cochrane PICO methodology for the research question. We selected only the most relevant articles from the thousands of articles that were generated by the Divine Word University (DWU) electronic data base system for our review. Further screening questions were applied based on the CASP method which filtered remaining 105 to only 9 papers for the review. The results from the nine (N = 9) studies analysed showed convincing results of the association between consumption of fish contaminated with methyl mercury and poor growth and development in children whose parents lived near mining sites. We conclude that since mercury is the predominant element used in the extraction of gold in alluvial mining, it is an exposure pathway for methyl mercury toxicity for children through dietary exposure.

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Mercury Levels in Pristine and Gold Mining Impacted Aquatic Ecosystems of Suriname, South America

Cited by 46 publications

References 22 publications

Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) Cohort Study: influences of complex environmental exposures on maternal and child health in Suriname

Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) Cohort Study: influences of complex environmental exposures on maternal and child health in Suriname

Mercury Levels in Women and Children from Interior Villages in Suriname, South America

Alluvial Gold Mining Sites as Exposure Pathways for Methyl Mercury Toxicity in Children: A Systematic Review

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