title: Mercurial exposure of residents of Santarém and Oriximiná cities (Pará, Brazil) through fish consumption.
abstract: A survey of the mercurial exposure of residents of Santarém and Oriximiná showed a differential mercurial impregnation between men and women. At the level of both cities, the mean hair mercury concentrations were 1.5 ± 0.5 (90th and 95th percentiles: 2.8 and 4.3) and 2.52 ± 0.09 μg g Hg/g (90th and 95th percentiles: 4.7 and 8.1) for women and men, respectively. The mercurial contamination appeared significantly closely linked to the daily amount of consumed fish. Carnivore species pescada branca (Plagioscion squamosissimus) and apapá (Pellona castelnaeana) and non-carnivore species pacú (Mylossoma duriventre) and aracú (Schizodon fasciatus) were consumed by 22, 19, 55 and 25% of people, respectively, and the mean mercury concentrations within fish flesh were 1.44 ± 0.11, 1.66 ± 0.19, 0.48 ± 0.09 and 0.49 ± 0.06 μg/g dry weight, respectively. Men aged above 35 were significantly more contaminated than those below. The mean hair concentrations of men were 5.20 ± 1.25 and 1.50 ± 0.22 μg/g, for those aged above 35 and below, respectively. The probability for women of childbearing age from both cities to present a hair mercury concentration above 1 μg Hg/g (corresponding to the US Environmental Protection Agency reference dose) was equal to 0.30 (95% confidence interval of 0.24-0.36). The probability of hair mercury concentration to be above the lowest observable adverse effect level (LOAEL) (0.3 μg Hg/g) was equal to 0.79 (95% confidence interval: 0.73-0.86).
authors.affiliation: University of Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR 5805, Arcachon Marine Station, Place du Dr Peyneau, 33120, Arcachon, France, jp.bourdineaud@epoc.u-bordeaux1.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bourdineaud
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Durrieu
authors.forename: Sandra Layse Ferreira
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Sarrazin
authors.forename: Wânia Cristina Rodrigues
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Rosa Helena Veras
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Mourão
authors.forename: Ricardo Bezerra
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil; D002947:Cities; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D008875:Middle Aged; D017747:Seafood / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury