title: Mercury exposure in two coastal communities of the Bay of Fundy, Canada.
abstract: There is a rising global concern with regard to mercury (Hg) exposure among coastal populations. Two communities on the Bay of Fundy (New Brunswick, Canada) were assessed by hair monitoring and dietary methods. Average concentration of total Hg in hair was 0.70+/-0.55 mg/kg (N=91) at Grand Manan and 0.42+/-0.15 mg/kg (N=52) at St. Andrews/St. Stephen. Average daily consumption of fresh fish and shellfish was 50+/-40 g/day for Grand Manan and 19+/-19 g/day for St. Andrews/St. Stephen. Average daily total Hg intake estimated from the food frequency and 24-h recall questionnaires was 0.05+/-0.04 microg Hg/kg bw/day at Grand Manan and 0.03+/-0.04 microg Hg/kg bw/day at St. Andrews/St. Stephen. A significant correlation (r=0.47, P=0.002) between Hg intake and hair was observed for Grand Manan. Low Hg intakes and body burden can be attributed to the low Hg levels found in the species commonly consumed: haddock, canned tuna, lobster, and pollock (all below 0.2 microg/g wet weight). The results showed that Hg exposure in these Canadian coastal communities is low; fish with higher levels of Hg (shark, tuna, swordfish, pickerel, and bass) are not consumed locally.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment and School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, MacDonald Campus, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, St-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., Canada H9X 3V9.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Legrand
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arp
authors.forename: Charlie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.forename: Hing Man
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005396:Fish Products / Q000009:adverse effects; D005506:Food Contamination; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009509:New Brunswick; D017747:Seafood / Q000009:adverse effects; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury