Mercury contamination in hair of riverine populations of Apiacás reserve in the Brazilian Amazon

Barbosa, Antônio C.; García, Angélica; Souza, Jurandir Rodrigues de

doi:10.1007/bf02409639

Cited by 40 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The average mercury level in hair we observed in fishermen of the Persian Gulf was lower than that in human hair from the Amazon regions (Passos et al 2003;Malm et al 1997; Barbosa 1997;Lebel et al 1997) and Japan (Feng et al 1998), but was comparable with the Hg concentrations reported in hair of fish consumers in Indonesia (Feng et al 1998), in North Atlantic women consuming whale meat (Weihe et al 2005), in Kuwaiti fishermen (ROPME 1999), and in Chilean (Brhun et al 1997) fish consumers. The average mercury level in fishermen's hair in our study was higher than the mercury levels in hair of children or women with low fish consumption in America (Weihe et al 2005), in China (Feng et al 1998), and in Korea (Lee and Lee 1999).…”

Section: Comparison With Literature Datasupporting

confidence: 79%

Mercury accumulation in fish species from the Persian Gulf and in human hair from fishermen

Agah

Leermakers

Gao

et al. 2009

Environ Monit Assess

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Total and methylmercury concentrations were assessed in muscle and liver of 141 fish samples from the northern part of the Persian Gulf. All fish samples belonged to five different species: grunt, flathead, greasy grouper, tiger-tooth croaker, and silver pomfret. In addition, Hg and methylmercury were analyzed in scalp hair of 19 fishermen living in the same coastal stations of the Persian Gulf and consuming several fish meals a week. Total mercury concentrations in fish muscle and liver ranged from 0.01 to 1.35 microg g(-1) w.w. and from 0.02 to 1.30 microg g(-1) w.w., respectively. In fish muscle, 3% of the Hg concentrations were higher than 0.5 microg g(-1) w.w., which corresponds to the maximum acceptable WHO level, while 9% were in the range of polluted fish (between 0.3 and 0.5 microg g(-1) w.w.). The highest mercury concentrations in fish muscle were observed in flathead fish at Abadan (average of 0.68 microg g(-1) w.w.). Methylmercury fractions in fish muscle and liver amount to 34-99% (median 64%) and 24-70% (median 43%), respectively. The mean total Hg concentration in the fishermen's scalp hair amounted to 2.9 +/- 2.2 microg g(-1), with 68% in the form of methylmercury. Ninety-five percent of the Hg levels in the fishermen's hair were below 10 microg g(-1), which is the WHO warning limit. In addition, relationships between the mercury levels in hair, on the one hand, and exposure-related factors such as Hg levels in specific fish species, regional differences, and number of fish meals, on the other hand, are discussed. It appears that a significant correlation for example exists between Hg levels human hair and fish muscle or human hair and age and that mean mercury levels in fish muscle and human hair decreased from western (Abadan) to eastern (Abbas port) coastal sites.

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Section: Comparison With Literature Datasupporting

confidence: 79%

Mercury accumulation in fish species from the Persian Gulf and in human hair from fishermen

Agah

Leermakers

Gao

et al. 2009

Environ Monit Assess

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“…In the same study, Indians showed hair mercury concentrations comparable to our results. A small group of women from the Teles Pires and Juruena Rivers showed mean concentrations of 41.2 µg mercury/g hair (Barbosa et al 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concentration of Mercury in Hair of Indigenous Mothers and Infants from the Amazon Basin

Barbosa

Silva

Dórea

1998

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

103

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Hair mercury concentration, as an indicator of mercury body load, was studied in 251 samples of indigenous women and children living in selected areas of the Amazonian region. The mothers or women of child-bearing age, either non-Indians or Indians, and their children were sampled along the Madeira River and in the Kayapó reservation (Fresco River), respectively. Among the sampled individuals there were mothers with infants less than 2 years old. Total mercury in hair was determined by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry after alkaline digestion. The distribution of hair mercury concentration greater than 10 microg/g occurred in 67.4% of non-Indian women and 25% of Indian women; overall only 1% of non-Indian women had concentrations of hair mercury above 50 microg/g. In women of child-bearing age, the median and range of hair mercury concentration was 14.08 microg/g, and 0.8-94.7 microg/g for non-Indians, and 8.30 microg/g, and 0.8-13.3 microg/g for Indians. The correlation between maternal hair mercury and mercury in hair of infants (less than 2 years of age) still breast-feeding, was statistically significant only for non-Indians (r = 0.555 p < 0. 001). The correlation between length of breast-feeding and mercury concentration in infant's hair was significant for Indian children (r = 0.512; p = 0.029) but not for non-Indian children (r = 0.025; p = 0.832). A subsampling of 30 mothers had segmented hair analysis that showed a mean decrease of 20% in body burden during pregnancy, thus indicating the extent of placental transference of mercury to fetuses.

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“…Heydarnejad et al (2013) document the effects of sublethal concentrations of copper on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), which experience decreased growth rates. In many cases, the long-term health effects of sublethal concentrations of contaminants remain unknown, especially in humans, but these contaminants can be very effectively transmitted to people who eat river fish (e.g., Akagi et al, 1995;Barbosa et al, 1997).…”

Section: Broader Implications Of Contaminated Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legacy effects on sediments in river corridors

Wohl

2015

Earth-Science Reviews

162

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Mercury contamination in hair of riverine populations of Apiacás reserve in the Brazilian Amazon

Cited by 40 publications

References 3 publications

Mercury accumulation in fish species from the Persian Gulf and in human hair from fishermen

Mercury accumulation in fish species from the Persian Gulf and in human hair from fishermen

Concentration of Mercury in Hair of Indigenous Mothers and Infants from the Amazon Basin

Legacy effects on sediments in river corridors

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