Mercury in the seafood and human exposure in coastal area of Guangdong province, South China

Abstract

Abstract-Consumption of fish and aquatic products is considered to be the main pathway of human exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). To assess human health risk through seafood consumption in a coastal area of Guangdong Province, South China, a total of 518 seafood samples (including fish, shrimp, crabs, and mollusks) were collected from 11 coastal cities for total mercury (THg) analysis. The THg concentrations varied significantly among different seafood groups and ranged from 0.11 to 317 ng/g (with a mean of 37.2 ng/g). The THg concentrations were relatively low compared with fish from Europe and North America, and no samples exceeded the national limit recommended by the Standardization Administration of China (0.5 mg/g wet wt). The ecological functional groups and cultured styles have significant effects on THg concentrations in the fish tissue. The median of probable daily intakes (PDIs) of MeHg via seafood consumption ranged from 42.6 to 71.4 ng/kg/d for different age groups, with fish contributing the major portion (84%). The results indicated potential health risks associated with seafood consumption for the general population in the coastal area of Guangdong Province, South China. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:541-547. # 2012 SETAC

Mercury in Wild Fish from High-Altitude Aquatic Ecosystems in the Tibetan Plateau

“…For example, Liu et al found that Hg concentrations were as low as 4–254 ng g –1 [ n = 128, wet weight (wwt)] in the fish collected from a Hg-contaminated reservoir. Li et al only detected a range of 0.1–317 ng g –1 of wwt Hg in 327 fish collected from coastal areas of south China. Similarly low Hg levels have been reported in two large-scale studies on marine fish, ranging from 7 to 53 ng g –1 of wwt ( n = 75) and from 4 to 254 ng g –1 of wwt ( n = 628). , Interestingly, comparable Hg levels (61–596 ng g –1 of wwt) have also been reported in TP fish that grow in pristine high-elevation areas .…”

Spatial and seasonal characteristics of dissolved heavy metals in the seawater of Beibu Gulf, the Northern South China Sea

“…By contrast, with the weakening of the coastal current in winter and spring, the contribution of the west-Guangdong coastal current and the SCS water to the Beibu Gulf increases, and the concentrations of Hg in the offshore area are higher than that in the coastal areas (Figures 6A, D). The high contaminations of Hg were also reported on the coast of western Guangdong Province and Hainan Island (Hu et al, 2013;Li et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2013;Liu et al, 2014;Zhao et al, 2020), and the metal would input into the Beibu Gulf with the transportation of the water mass. This suggests that the transportation of water masses in Beibu Gulf is greatly influenced on the distribution of Hg in the gulf.…”

Risk and Benefit Assessment of Potential Neurodevelopmental Effect Resulting from Consumption of Marine Fish from a Coastal Archipelago in China

“…Several perspective studies reported a positive relationship between maternal intake or concentration of n-3 LCPUFAs (particularly DHA) and mental development. 8−10 Marine fish would be the main food source of DHA in some Chinese coastal regions, 11 but fish consumption also would be the major route by which the common population is exposed to some contaminants, such as methylmercury (MeHg), 12 which is a known neurotoxicant with adverse effects on fetal and infantile cognitive development. 13,14 It has been shown that maternal fish consumption could increase MeHg concentration in maternal and cord blood, and increase fetal exposure resulting in delayed neurodevelopment.…”

“…Marine fish would be the main food source of DHA in some Chinese coastal regions, but fish consumption also would be the major route by which the common population is exposed to some contaminants, such as methylmercury (MeHg), which is a known neurotoxicant with adverse effects on fetal and infantile cognitive development. , It has been shown that maternal fish consumption could increase MeHg concentration in maternal and cord blood, and increase fetal exposure resulting in delayed neurodevelopment. , Results from a cross-sectional survey showed that estimated intakes of DHA were strongly correlated with estimated Hg intake in the Inuit population, whose traditional foods mainly include marine mammals and fish . These indicate that maternal marine fish intake could result in both benefits of DHA and risks of MeHg on neurodevelopment of children.…”

“…However, they recommended that regional specific data for MeHg and n -3 LCPUFA concentrations needed to be collected for regional specific assessment . The concentrations of specific fatty acids and total mercury in some Chinese marine/freshwater fish were reported, , but there are clear location differences in MeHg concentrations and species differences in DHA concentrations in marine fish, and there is little information on assessment of net neurodevelopmental effect via maternal marine fish consumption in China. In response to this public health concern, we calculated and integrated benefits of DHA and risks of MeHg caused by maternal consumption of some edible marine fish farmed or grown in Zhoushan, southeast China, to assess the net neurodevelopmental effect of these species according to the aforementioned FAO/WHO approach.…”