Evolution of Our Understanding of Methylmercury as a Health Threat

Watanabe, Chiho; Satoh, Hiroshi

doi:10.2307/3432657

Cited by 38 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition, giant otters have high metabolic rates; to support this energy consumption, they consume up to 4 kg of fish per day [4]. While very little is known about the impacts of MeHg accumulation on giant otters of South America, studies indicate that mammalian wildlife and humans respond to MeHg in a comparable manner [14]. Furthermore, other members of the family Mustelidae including otter species in North America and Europe (Lutra canadensis, Lutra lutra) and American mink (Mustela vison) are highly sensitive to Hg, with neurochemical changes in the brain occurring at MeHg dietary concentrations of 0.5 mg/kg [15][16][17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gold Mining and Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Floodplain Lake and Main Channel of the Tambopata River, Perú

Roach¹,

Jacobsen²,

Fiorello³

et al. 2013

JEP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Contamination of water bodies by inorganic mercury (Hg [II]) used in placer mining of gold deposits in the Madre de Dios Department, Perú, contributes to the bioaccumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) in fish tissue. We measured MeHg and total Hg (THg) concentrations (mg/kg wet weight [ww] tissue) of thirteen fish species from the Tambopata River, Perú, and the connected oxbow lake Tres Chimbadas. We also used stable isotope analysis (δ 15 N and δ 13 C) to estimate trophic positions of fishes. Average MeHg concentrations of fish species ranged from 0.042 mg/kg ww (Satanoperca jurupari) to 0.463 mg/kg ww (Hoplias malabaricus) in the main channel and from 0.090 mg/kg ww (Parauchenipterus sp.) to 1.282 mg/kg ww (Pimelodina flavipinnis) in the lake. Spearman rank correlation indicated that trophic position had no influence on MeHg concentrations of species in the main channel, but in the lake, trophic positions of species were positively associated with MeHg. Migrations of the pimelodid catfish surveyed from the main channel are well documented. Because little gold mining occurs at our study site, fishes from the main channel may be bioaccumulating MeHg from areas where mining is widespread. Fish species that reside in the lake are relatively sedentary and migration is limited by the brief period of floodplain inundation and the long, narrow corridor that connects the lake to the main channel; lake sediments are therefore the likely source for MeHg bioaccumulation. Five out of the eight fish species surveyed from the main channel and two out of the five species from the lake had MeHg levels higher than United States Environmental Protection Agency fish tissue criterion for human consumption.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gold Mining and Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Floodplain Lake and Main Channel of the Tambopata River, Perú

Roach¹,

Jacobsen²,

Fiorello³

et al. 2013

JEP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Japanese families treasure a dry piece of the umbilical cord as a birth memento (Watanabe and Satoh 1996;Akagi et al 1998). Nishigaki and Harada (1975) collected dry umbilical cords from people residing in Minamata City, who were born from 1925 to 1970, to determine MeHg and selenium levels in relation to water pollution and an epidemic in the 1950s of a severe neurological disorder due to MeHg (i.e., Minamata disease).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Intrauterine Methylmercury Exposure Affecting Child Development: Messages from the Newborn

Murata

Dakeishi

Shimada

et al. 2007

Tohoku J. Exp. Med.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are distributed widely in the environment and cross the placenta to cause in utero injury to the developing brain (7,8). Organic mercury compounds are among the most potent developmental neurotoxicants (9,10). Certain pesticides are documented to induce prenatal brain injury in rodent species and to result in functional deficits (11,12); the possibility that they produce similar effects in humans helped spur passage, in 1996, ofthe Food Quality Protection Act (13).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The developing brain and the environment: an introduction.

Weiss

Landrigan

2000

Environ Health Perspect

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

mental retardation: timing and thresholds; (italic)b(/italic)) endocrine dysfunction and developmental disabilities: dose and target implications; (italic)c(/italic)) attention-deficit disorder-ADHD and learning disabilities; and (italic)d(/italic)) new horizons: extending the boundaries. Support for the Rochester conference came from both public and private sources. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the EPA represented the federal government. The conference also received grants from several foundations: the Jennifer Altman Foundation, the Heinz Family Foundation, the National Alliance for Autism Research, the Violence Research Foundation, the Wacker Foundation, and the Winslow Foundation. The second of these conferences helped launch a new Center for Children's Health and the Environment at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. It was held in New York City on 24-25 May 1999, and was convened specifically to consider the intersection between neurodevelopmental impairment, environmental chemicals, and prevention. Over 300 health scientists, pediatricians, and public health professionals examined the growing body of evidence linking environmental toxins to neurobehavioral disorders. The conference title was Environmental Influences on Children: Brain, Development, and Behavior. The conference began by reviewing well-known examples of deleterious effects of environmental chemicals, including lead and PCBs, on children's brains. The conferees then considered the potential impact of environmental chemicals on neurological disorders with particular focus on ADHD, autism, and Parkinson's disease. The inclusion of Parkinson's disease was intended to signal the notion that exposures in early life may have an influence on the evolution of neurological disease in later life. Support for the Mount Sinai conference came from the Superfund Basic Research Program (NIEHS); The Pew Charitable Trusts; the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany School of Public Health; the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Research (ATSDR); the Ambulatory Pediatric Association; Myron A. Mehlman, PhD; the National Center for Environmental Assessment (EPA); the National Center for Environmental Health (CDC); the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; the Office of Children's Health Protection (EPA); Physicians for Social Responsibility; The New York Academy of Medicine; The New York Community Trust; and the Wallace Genetic Foundation. The impact of environmental toxins on children's health has become a topic of major concern in the federal government. Eight new research centers in children's environmental health have been established in the past 2 years with joint funding from EPA and NIEHS. Clinical units that specialize in the treatment of children with environmentally induced illness have been developed across the nation with grant support from ATSDR. The American Academy of Pediatrics has just...

show abstract

Evolution of Our Understanding of Methylmercury as a Health Threat

Abstract: 367-379(1996)

Cited by 38 publications

References 13 publications

Gold Mining and Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Floodplain Lake and Main Channel of the Tambopata River, Perú

Gold Mining and Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Floodplain Lake and Main Channel of the Tambopata River, Perú

Assessment of Intrauterine Methylmercury Exposure Affecting Child Development: Messages from the Newborn

The developing brain and the environment: an introduction.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Evolution of Our Understanding of Methylmercury as a Health Threat

Abstract: 367-379(1996)

Cited by 38 publications

References 13 publications

Gold Mining and Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Floodplain Lake and Main Channel of the Tambopata River, Per&#250;

Gold Mining and Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Floodplain Lake and Main Channel of the Tambopata River, Per&#250;

Assessment of Intrauterine Methylmercury Exposure Affecting Child Development: Messages from the Newborn

The developing brain and the environment: an introduction.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Gold Mining and Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Floodplain Lake and Main Channel of the Tambopata River, Perú

Gold Mining and Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Floodplain Lake and Main Channel of the Tambopata River, Perú