Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.2478/aiht-2022-73-3611
Fish consumption habits of pregnant women in Itaituba, Tapajós River basin, Brazil: risks of mercury contamination as assessed by measuring total mercury in highly consumed piscivore fish species and in hair of pregnant women
Ricardo Bezerra de Oliveira
; Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, Brazil
Domingas Machado da Silva
; Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, Brazil
Thamilles Santa Bárbara Sousa Franco
; Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, Brazil
Cláudio Ramon Sena Vasconcelos
; Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, Brazil
Deise Juliane dos Anjos de Sousa
; Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, Brazil
Sandra Layse Ferreira Sarrazin
; Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, Brazil
Mineshi Sakamoto
; National Institute for Minamata Disease, Minamata, Japan
Jean-Paul Bourdineaud
; University of Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR 5234, European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, Pessac, France
Abstract
The Tapajós River basin in the Amazon region, Brazil is one of the most active gold mining areas in the world. In this study, we evaluated fish consumption habits and mercury exposure in 110 pregnant women in the city of Itaituba by measuring their total hair mercury concentrations. In addition, we investigated seasonal differences in mercury concentrations in two highly consumed piscivorous fish species, tucunaré (Cichla spp.) and pescada (Plagioscion squamosissimus). Total fish mercury concentrations (THg) during the dry season were 0.62±0.07 mg/kg for Cichla spp. and 0.73±0.08 mg/kg for P. squamosissimus. During the rainy season they were 0.39±0.04 and 0.84±0.08 mg/kg, respectively. Of our participants 44 % declared that they ate Cichla spp. and 67 % P. squamosissimus. Mean mercury concentration in their hair was 1.6±0.2 mg/kg and was above the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) reference dose of 1 mg/kg in 48 % of them. Mean fish THg concentrations were also above the joint Food and Drug Administration and US EPA safety limit of 0.5 mg/kg for P. squamosissimus during both seasons and for Cichla spp. during the dry season only. These results show that pregnant women should avoid consumption of these piscivorous fish species during pregnancy and call for a regular programme to monitor Hg levels in that area.
Keywords
Cichla spp.; hair; methylmercury; Plagioscion squamosissimus
Hrčak ID:
279722
URI
Publication date:
27.6.2022.
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