A State-of-the-Science Review of Mercury Biomarkers in Human Populations Worldwide between 2000 and 2018

Abstract

Background:The Minamata Convention on Mercury provided a mandate for action against global mercury pollution. However, our knowledge of mercury exposures is limited because there are many regions and subpopulations with little or no data.Objective:We aimed to increase worldwide understanding of human exposures to mercury by collecting, collating, and analyzing mercury concentrations in biomarker samples reported in the published scientific literature.Method:A systematic search of the peer-reviewed scientific literature was performed using three databases. A priori search strategy, eligibility criteria, and data extraction steps were used to identify relevant studies.Results:We collected 424,858 mercury biomarker measurements from 335,991 individuals represented in 312 articles from 75 countries. General background populations with insignificant exposures have blood, hair, and urine mercury levels that generally fall under 5μg/L, 2 μg/g, and 3 μg/L, respectively. We identified four populations of concern: a) Arctic populations who consume fish and marine mammals; b) tropical riverine communities (especially Amazonian) who consume fish and in some cases may be exposed to mining; c) coastal and/or small-island communities who substantially depend on seafood; and d) individuals who either work or reside among artisanal and small-scale gold mining sites.Conclusions:This review suggests that all populations worldwide are exposed to some amount of mercury and that there is great variability in exposures within and across countries and regions. There remain many geographic regions and subpopulations with limited data, thus hindering evidence-based decision making. This type of information is critical in helping understand exposures, particularly in light of certain stipulations in the Minamata Convention on Mercury. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3904

Validation of Dried Blood Spots for Maternal Biomonitoring of Nonessential Elements in an Artisanal and Small‐Scale Gold Mining Area of Tanzania

“…Future research is needed to determine if DBS can be used in biomonitoring studies of other chemical elements that have the potential for toxicological effects on humans. Even though the median blood Hg levels (1.2 µg/L) among the study participants were similar to the median blood concentrations of other African populations (1.3 µg/L; Basu et al 2018), the blood concentrations of Cd, Hg, and Pb in most of the pregnant women participating in the present study were above the human biomonitoring reference values of 0.30, 0.80, and 35.0 µg/L, respectively, established by the Germany Environmental survey (Schulz et al 2009), thus calling for further research on the effects of such exposure on pregnancy outcomes and child development. Given the low MDLs, and the 100% detection frequencies, the DBS method should be an effective tool in most population studies, including background wileyonlinelibrary.com/ETC © 2019 SETAC Use of dry blood spots for human biomonitoring in low resource settings-Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2019;38:1285-1293 biomonitoring studies.…”

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

“…Research on pollution and IPs in Africa is relatively meager (11%; 41 cases), with most of it coming from the Niger Delta region; there is limited information for the rest of the continent. Basu et al (2018) documented similar geographic patterns on a state‐of‐the‐science review of Hg biomarkers.…”

Dried Blood Spot Sampling of Landlocked Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) for Estimating Mercury Exposure and Stable Carbon Isotope Fingerprinting of Essential Amino Acids

“…Given the advantages of DBS sampling, our goal was to develop a simple and accurate DBS‐based approach for assessing Hg exposure and dietary carbon sources for landlocked Arctic char collected along a gradient of Hg contamination in the Canadian High Arctic. Although whole blood is a commonly used, nonlethal biomarker tissue for both humans (Basu et al 2018) and some wildlife (Rea et al 2013; Perkins and Basu 2018), muscle tissue and internal organs are more commonly used for fish (Lockhart et al 2005; Muir et al 2005; Barst et al 2016). Therefore, our first aim was to determine if DBS could be used to estimate Hg levels in liquid whole blood, muscle, liver, and brain of Arctic char.…”