title: Blood mercury levels among fish consumers residing in areas with high environmental burden.
abstract: Mercury is a ubiquitous, persistent toxicant found in the environment. In water, mercury bioaccumulates up the food chain and leads to high concentrations in fish. Consumption of contaminated fish is the major source of exposure to mercury in the US. The objective of this study was to enroll persons living in areas selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have high mercury concentrations and who consume at least 6o z of locally caught fish per week to determine the feasibility of monitoring future trends among a population identified as highly exposed. Blood samples were collected at time of interview and analyzed for mercury. Participants (n=287) were enrolled from North Carolina, Maryland, and South Dakota. Participants reported eating an average of five servings of fish per week. The overall geometric mean for total mercury was 0.75 μg L(-1), with North Carolina having the highest mean level (2.02 μg L(-1)). Overall, 42% of the study population had levels greater than the US geometric mean 0.83 μg L(-1). The number of servings of fish consumed was not found to be associated with blood mercury levels. We were able to identify some persons with elevated mercury concentrations living in areas identified by EPA; however, identifying and monitoring a highly exposed population over time would be challenging.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. ajf9@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wolkin
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Kathleen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McGeehin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D013023:South Dakota; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury