Dynamics of the Total Mercury Content in the Hair of Adolescent Residents of the Industrial Center of Northwest Russia (Cherepovets City)

Abstract

The content of total mercury in the hair of adolescent residents of the industrial center of North-West Russia varied from less than 0.002 to 0.83 mg/kg. The content of total mercury in the hair of males is 1.5-2 times lower than that of females. The relationship between the body mass index of females and the content of total mercury in the hair (for the entire observation period rs=0.28–0.48, at p < 0.05) was observed. It was found that the concentration of metal in the hair of the study participants depended on the frequency of fish consumption. Over a three-year observation period, an increase in the indicator values of the concentration of total mercury in the hair was recorded among 70% of the study participants, on average by 0.03 mg/kg per year. Indicators of the content of total mercury in the hair of females and males in the city of Cherepovets did not exceed the standard values established in Russia and in the world. At the same time, the recorded values of the annual increase in the content of total mercury in the hair, allow us to predict the potentially hazardous levels of metal in the body of the study participants when they reach adulthood.