Lead, cadmium, mercury and selenium intake by Greenlanders from local marine food

Johansen, Poul; Pars, Tine; Bjerregaard, Peter

doi:10.1016/s0048-9697(99)00443-x

Cited by 60 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…MeHg is a contam- inant of grave concern because it can cross the blood brain barrier and can also act as an immunosuppressant rendering animals and humans more susceptible to disease (Eisler, 1987;Thompson, 1996;Derome et al, 2005). Subtle health effects are occurring in certain areas of the Arctic due to exposure to Hg in traditional food, and the dietary intake of Hg has, at times, exceeded established national guidelines in a number of communities (Johansen et al, 2000;Johansen et al, 2004). Evidence suggests that the greatest concern is for fetal and neonatal development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A synthesis of atmospheric mercury depletion event chemistry in the atmosphere and snow

Steffen

Douglas

Amyot³

et al. 2008

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

444

439

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Abstract. It was discovered in 1995 that, during the spring time, unexpectedly low concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) occurred in the Arctic air. This was surprising for a pollutant known to have a long residence time in the atmosphere; however conditions appeared to exist in the Arctic that promoted this depletion of mercury (Hg). This phenomenon is termed atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs) and its discovery has revolutionized our understanding of the cycling of Hg in Polar Regions while stimulating a significant amount of research to understand its impact to this fragile ecosystem. Shortly after the discovery was made in Canada, AMDEs were confirmed to occur throughout the Arctic, sub-Artic and Antarctic coasts. It is now known that, through a series of photochemically initiated reactions involving halogens, GEM is converted to a Correspondence to: A. Steffen (alexandra.steffen@ec.gc.ca) more reactive species and is subsequently associated to particles in the air and/or deposited to the polar environment. AMDEs are a means by which Hg is transferred from the atmosphere to the environment that was previously unknown. In this article we review Hg research taken place in Polar Regions pertaining to AMDEs, the methods used to collect Hg in different environmental media, research results of the current understanding of AMDEs from field, laboratory and modeling work, how Hg cycles around the environment after AMDEs, gaps in our current knowledge and the future impacts that AMDEs may have on polar environments. The research presented has shown that while considerable improvements in methodology to measure Hg have been made but the main limitation remains knowing the speciation of Hg in the various media. The processes that drive AMDEs and how they occur are discussed. As well, the role that the snow pack and the sea ice play in the cycling of Hg is presented. It has been found that deposition of Hg from AMDEs occurs at marine coasts and not far inland and that a fraction of the Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. deposited Hg does not remain in the same form in the snow. Kinetic studies undertaken have demonstrated that bromine is the major oxidant depleting Hg in the atmosphere. Modeling results demonstrate that there is a significant deposition of Hg to Polar Regions as a result of AMDEs. Models have also shown that Hg is readily transported to the Arctic from source regions, at times during springtime when this environment is actively transforming Hg from the atmosphere to the snow and ice surfaces. The presence of significant amounts of methyl Hg in snow in the Arctic surrounding AMDEs is important because this species is the link between the environment and impacts to wildlife and humans. Further, much work on methylation and demethylation processes has occurred but these processes are not yet fully understood. Recent changes in the climate and sea ice cover in Polar Regions are likely to have strong effects on the cycling of Hg in this envir...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A synthesis of atmospheric mercury depletion event chemistry in the atmosphere and snow

Steffen

Douglas

Amyot³

et al. 2008

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

444

439

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“…3 Even though exposure to mercury is decreasing in Arctic populations, because of changes in diet, the Inuit continue to have blood mercury levels that exceed World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines for total mercury intake of 2 mg kg 21 body weight per day and for methylmercury of 1.6 mg kg 21 body weight per week. [3][4][5][6][7] In Ukraine and Poland, blood mercury concentrations have been low and stable over a period of at least 12 years. [8][9][10] Nevertheless, global mercury emissions may be increasing because of burning of coal and fuel oil especially in Asia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental mercury exposure, semen quality and reproductive hormones in Greenlandic Inuit and European men: a cross-sectional study

Mocevic¹,

Specht²,

Marott³

et al. 2012

Asian J Androl

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Several animal studies indicate that mercury is a male reproductive toxicant, but human studies are few and contradictory. We examined semen characteristics and serum levels of reproductive hormones in relation to environmental exposure to mercury. Blood and semen samples were collected from 529 male partners of pregnant women living in Greenland, Poland and Ukraine between May 2002 and February 2004. The median concentration of the total content of mercury in whole blood was 9.2 ng ml 21 in Greenland (0.2-385.8 ng ml 21 ), 1.0 ng ml 21 in Poland (0.2-6.4 ng ml 21 ) and 1.0 ng ml 21 in Ukraine (0.2-4.9 ng ml 21 ). We found a significantly positive association between the blood levels of mercury and serum concentration of inhibin B in men from Greenland (b50.074, 95% confidence interval (CI)50.021 to 0.126) and in an analysis including men from all three regions (b50.067, 95% CI50.024 to 0.110). The association may be due to beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are contained in seafood and fish. No significant association (P.0.05) was found between blood concentrations of mercury and any of the other measured semen characteristics (semen volume, total sperm count, sperm concentration, morphology and motility) and reproductive hormones (free androgen index (FAI), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone and LH3testosterone) in any region. In conclusion, the findings do not provide evidence that environmental mercury exposure in Greenlandic and European men with median whole blood concentration up to 10 ng ml 21 has adverse effects on biomarkers of male reproductive health.

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“…The positive effect of marine fat on cardiovascular disease due to poly-unsaturated fatty acids has been established (8,29). Also, the intake of lead, cadmium, mercury, organochlorines, zinc, selenium, and copper (13,18,36) as well as vitamins and minerals (9,17,27,28,31,37) has been investigated and the impact on health in circumpolar populations estimated (19,36). However, no data on iodine content of traditional Inuit food items are available and data on iodine intake are sparse (2).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Iodine content of traditional Greenlandic food items and tap water in East and West Greenland

Andersen

Hvingel

Laurberg

2002

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

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Lead, cadmium, mercury and selenium intake by Greenlanders from local marine food

Cited by 60 publications

References 11 publications

A synthesis of atmospheric mercury depletion event chemistry in the atmosphere and snow

A synthesis of atmospheric mercury depletion event chemistry in the atmosphere and snow

Environmental mercury exposure, semen quality and reproductive hormones in Greenlandic Inuit and European men: a cross-sectional study

Iodine content of traditional Greenlandic food items and tap water in East and West Greenland

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