Human Body Burden and Dietary Methylmercury Intake: The Relationship in a Rice-Consuming Population

Environ Sci Technol. 2015 Aug 18;49(16):9682-9. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00195. Epub 2015 Jul 27.

Abstract

Rice can be the main route of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure for rice-consuming populations living in area where mercury (Hg) is mined. However, the current risk assessment paradigm for MeHg exposure is based on epidemiological data collected from fish-consuming populations. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between dietary MeHg intake and human body burden in a rice -consuming population from the Wanshan Hg mining area in China. Hair MeHg concentrations averaged 2.07 ± 1.79 μg/g, and the average blood MeHg concentration across the study area ranged from 2.20 to 9.36 μg/L. MeHg constituted 52.8 ± 17.5% and 71.7 ± 18.2% of total Hg (THg) on average in blood and hair samples, respectively. Blood and hair MeHg concentrations, rather than THg, can be used as a proxy of human MeHg exposure. Hair MeHg levels showed no significant monthly variation; however, hair THg can be impacted by inorganic Hg exposure. The toxicokinetic model of MeHg exposure based on fish consumption underestimated the human hair MeHg levels, and this may be a consequence of the high hair-to-blood MeHg ratio (361 ± 105) in the studied rice-consuming population. The use of risk assessment models based on fish consumption may not be appropriate for inland mining areas where rice is the staple food.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Body Burden
  • China
  • Environmental Pollutants / analysis
  • Environmental Pollutants / blood
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Female
  • Food Contamination*
  • Hair / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Methylmercury Compounds / analysis*
  • Methylmercury Compounds / blood
  • Mining*
  • Oryza*
  • Risk Assessment

Substances

  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Methylmercury Compounds