title: Predictors of blood mercury levels in older urban residents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to describe the distribution and predictors of blood mercury levels in an adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional analysis of first-visit data (2001-2002) on a random sample of 474 subjects from the Baltimore Memory Study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for race/ethnicity, education, assets, and diabetes, persons in the highest quartile of fish consumption had median mercury levels 1.82 times above the levels in the lowest quartile, while those in the highest education category had median mercury levels 1.57 times higher than levels in the lowest category. Nine percent of subjects were above the reference dose recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency, which is high compared with that found by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in women of childbearing age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings offer guidance for targeted education and possible new insights regarding the kinetics of mercury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. mweil@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Megan Weil
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Latshaw
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015142:Baltimore; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000819:agonists / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D008668:Metallothionein; D008628:Mercury