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Wang YL, Tsou MCM, Lai LC, Hseu ZY, Hsi HC, Chien LC. Oral and inhalation bioaccessibility of mercury in contaminated soils and potential health risk to the kidneys and neurodevelopment of children in Taiwan. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2023; 45:6267-6286. [PMID: 37289259 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-023-01633-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Health risk assessments of exposure to mercury (Hg) from soils via ingestion and inhalation are indispensable for Taiwanese people living in the vicinity of Hg-contaminated sites. In this study, anthropogenic soils were collected from various polluted sources in Taiwan. In vitro oral and inhalation bioaccessible fractions of Hg were analyzed to avoid from overestimating the exposure risk. Discrepancies in oral and inhalation bioaccessible levels of Hg in soils were found using different in vitro assays with different pH levels and chemical compositions. The freshly contaminated soil (soil S7) polluted by chlor-alkali production activity sampled before the site was remediated had the highest total Hg concentration of 1346 mg/kg, with the highest oral bioaccessibility of 26.2% as analyzed by SW-846 Method 1340 and inhalation bioaccessibility of 30.5% as analyzed by modified Gamble's solution. The lesser extent of aging of Hg in soil S7 increased the Hg availability for humans, which was also found based on results of a sequential extraction procedure. Results of the hazard quotient showed that soil ingestion was the main pathway causing non-carcinogenic risks for children and adults. Children were also exposed to higher risks than were adults due to higher frequencies of hand-to-mouth behaviors and lower body weights. Furthermore, hazard index results adjusted for oral and inhalation bioaccessible Hg were lower than those obtained based on the total Hg content; however, an unacceptable value of the non-carcinogenic risk (> 1) for children living near soil S7 was still observed. This study suggests that children living near sites polluted for a short period of time may suffer potential renal effects regardless of the bioaccessibility. Our findings provide suggestions for decision makers on setting new strategies for managing risks of Hg-contaminated soils in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Lin Wang
- School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing St., Xinyi Dist., Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 4, Da'an Dist., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | | | - Li-Chi Lai
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 4, Da'an Dist., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Zeng-Yei Hseu
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsing-Cheng Hsi
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 4, Da'an Dist., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
| | - Ling-Chu Chien
- School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing St., Xinyi Dist., Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
- Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Neuroscience Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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2
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Wu Z, Xia T, Zhang D, Li S, Jia X, Zhang L. Incorporating soil mercury species and fractions into multi-objective risk assessment of a residue disposal site in China. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2023; 45:2149-2165. [PMID: 35838858 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-022-01311-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Environmental problems in soil and water caused by solid waste dumps have become a growing concern. This study proposes an integrated risk assessment model aimed at multi-objectives including human, ecology and groundwater and develops remediation target values at different tiers associated with soil mercury species and fractions in a typical residue disposal site of China. The results show that the residue disposal site was severely contaminated with mercury, with the maximum mercury content in the soil reaching 579.14 mg/kg. The average concentration of vapour mercury, bioaccessible mercury, bioavailable mercury and leachable mercury tested in laboratory was 87.65 mg/kg, 3.15 mg/kg (intestinal phase), 1.654 mg/kg and 0.045 mg/L, respectively. The hazard index calculated using total mercury, bioaccessible mercury and vapour mercury was 7.43 E + 01, 4.42 E + 01, and the remediation target values were7.79 mg/kg and 13.1 mg/kg, respectively. The ecological risk for total mercury and bioavailable mercury was calculated using measured site soil mercury background values of 6390.92 and 94.52, and the remediation target was 0.7 mg/kg and 47.33 mg/kg, respectively. Under Class IV water conditions, the measured and three-phase equilibrium model simulations of leachable mercury resulted in remediation targets of 6 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg for soil mercury. Compared to total mercury, the remediation target values calculated using mercury species and fractions were significantly larger under human health protection, ecology protection and groundwater protection. This results in a reduction in the area of soil to be remediated by 20.3-85.7%, resulting in significant savings in remediation costs. It was concluded that when conducting risk assessment and reuse of mercury-contaminated sites, it is important to consider the species and fractions of mercury in the soil in order to reasonably determine the remediation criteria and scale of remediation to avoid over-remediation and incomplete remediation. At the same time, a comprehensive protection target remediation mechanism should be established by combining different receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyuan Wu
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Eco-Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Tianxiang Xia
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Eco-Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China.
| | - Dan Zhang
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Eco-Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Shuang Li
- Heilongjiang Academy of Environmental Sciences, Harbin, 150056, China
| | - Xiaoyang Jia
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Eco-Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Lina Zhang
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Eco-Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China
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Zhu K, Liu Q, Xie X, Jiang Q, Feng Y, Xiao P, Wu X, Song R. The combined effect between BDNF genetic polymorphisms and exposure to metals on the risk of Chinese dyslexia. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 308:119640. [PMID: 35718045 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BDNF gene has been implicated in the development of cognition and language. Meanwhile, exposure to metals might interact with BDNF gene to increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. The present study aimed to explore the association between BDNF genetic polymorphisms and dyslexic risk and examine whether BDNF polymorphisms would interact with metal exposures, jointly contributing to dyslexia. Among a case-control study composed of 238 children with dyslexia and 228 healthy controls, the BDNF genetic polymorphisms were genotyped by the Sequenom MassARRAY system, and the exposure to eight metals, such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and copper (Cu), were measured using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of dyslexia. After multivariate adjustment, significant associations of dyslexic risk with rs6265 polymorphisms of the BDNF gene were observed (OR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.15-3.44). Furthermore, exposure to Cu could interact with rs6265 to increase the risk of dyslexia (P interaction = 0.045). High-Cu children with the rs6265 TT genotype were more likely to have dyslexia compared with low-Cu children carrying CC + CT genotypes (OR = 3.19; 95% CI: 1.38-7.39). The findings of this study suggested that the polymorphism of rs6265 in BDNF gene could interact with Cu exposure to increase the occurrence of dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiheng Zhu
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xinyan Xie
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qi Jiang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanan Feng
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Pei Xiao
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoqian Wu
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ranran Song
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
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Jiang L, Zhang R, Zhang L, Zheng R, Zhong M. Improving the regulatory health risk assessment of mercury-contaminated sites. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 402:123493. [PMID: 32707467 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
An alternative risk assessment strategy for mercury (Hg)-contaminated sites is proposed with bioaccessible fractions and soil Hg vapor (SHgV) concentrations. The new strategy avoids the conservatism of assessment rely on soil total Hg (THg) content and inaccuracy caused by predicted SHgV concentration. The exposure risk to Hg-contaminated soil associated with historical mining activities in Guizhou, China, was evaluated using the proposed strategy. The experimental results revealed that the average bioaccessibility in gastric, intestinal and lung phases was 10.39 % (2.09 % ∼ 35.28 %), 1.28 % (0.23 % ∼ 4.3 %), and 11.27 % (5.04 % ∼ 20.71 %), respectively. Via the proposed strategy, the Hg risk for the oral ingestion pathway, represented as the hazard quotient (HQ), decreased from 1.57 to an acceptable level of 0.19 (<1). The risk of SHgV inhalation sharply decreased from 1168 to 0.35 while the soil PM10 inhalation pathway did not exhibit significant variations. The dominant exposure pathways turned to oral intake and inhalation of SHgV by the strategy. The results indicated that the proposed assessment strategy can greatly improve the understanding of the exposure risk level at Hg-contaminated sites and provide a reasonable decision basis for decision makers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Jiang
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China.
| | - Ruihuan Zhang
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Lina Zhang
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Rui Zheng
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China; Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Maosheng Zhong
- National Engineering Research Centre of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Key Laboratory for Risk Modeling and Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China
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Xu Z, Lu Q, Xu X, Feng X, Liang L, Liu L, Li C, Chen Z, Qiu G. Multi-pathway mercury health risk assessment, categorization and prioritization in an abandoned mercury mining area: A pilot study for implementation of the Minamata Convention. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 260:127582. [PMID: 32758782 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This is a systematic study of human health risk assessment (HHRA) and risk categorization for inorganic mercury (IHg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in Hg mining areas. A multi-pathway exposure model coupled with Monte Carlo simulation was constructed for the Wanshan Hg mining area (WSMM), Southwestern China, with consideration of oral ingestion (foodstuffs, water and soil), dermal contact (water and soil), and inhalation (gaseous Hg and particulate Hg). The results show that dietary intake (food and water), gaseous Hg inhalation, oral ingestion of soil particles, dermal contact, and particulate Hg inhalation comprised 88.3-96.3%, 3.49-6.14%, 0.14-5.3%, 0.02%, and <0.01% of total IHg ingestion, respectively. As expected, rice consumption contributed the highest proportion (86.3-92.7%) of MeHg. The study shows that the elevated MeHg exposure risk is the most significant issue in Hg mining areas. In addition, Hg risk categorization and prioritization in the WSMM are established for the first time based on rice-based exposure doses of IHg and MeHg. Target areas for future treatment and/or remediation are characterized according to thresholds of reference dose and provisional tolerable weekly intake for exposure doses, as well as risk screening values and risk control values for contaminated soil. The proposed multi-pathway exposure model is strongly recommended for the HHRA of Hg-contaminated sites worldwide and helps facilitate the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhidong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qinhui Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaohang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xinbin Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China
| | - Longchao Liang
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Lin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chan Li
- School of Chemical and Materials Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- School of Chemical and Materials Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Guangle Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China.
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6
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Kim JH, Lee A, Kim SK, Moon HB, Park J, Choi K, Kim S. Lead and mercury levels in repeatedly collected urine samples of young children: A longitudinal biomonitoring study. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 189:109901. [PMID: 32980001 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Early life exposures to lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) were reported to be associated with various adverse health outcomes. However, limited data was available for urinary Pb and Hg levels in young children and the proportion of children at risk by age, as well as inter- and intra-subject variations of urinary Pb and Hg levels. Therefore, we collected total 491 urine samples from 241 children by urine collection at birth and at intervals of 3 months until 27 months of age for each child (at 10 monitoring time points), measured urinary Pb and Hg levels, and then evaluated the proportion of children at risk by age and the intra-class correlation (ICC) of the urinary Pb and Hg levels. Both the urinary Pb and Hg levels were significantly different according to the monitoring time points (p < 0.0001 for both Pb and Hg). The number of children with Hg level over the Human BioMonitoring (HBM) I (7 μg/L) and II (25 μg/L) in the first urine at birth were 3 (2.2%) and 1 (0.7%), respectively, while the urinary samples at the other time points did not show Hg level over HBM I or HBM II. However, the exceedance rate for urinary Pb based on HBM values was not calculated due to unavailable HBM values. On the other hands, the proportion of the children with Pb and Hg levels over the reference value derived on the 95th percentile of representative samples (RV95) (1.7 μg/L for Canadian Pb and 0.4 μg/L for German Hg) was relatively high, ranging from 20.0% to 100.0% for Pb and from 13.6% to 100.0% for Hg. The ICC of the repeated measurements from birth to 27 months was 0 for Pb and 0.89 for Hg, while the ICC after the exclusion of the first urine at birth was 0.13 for Pb and 0.47 for Hg. Furthermore, the Pb and Hg exposures were consistent among the high-exposure group for Pb and among all population for Hg. Our data showed Korean children were exposed to relatively high levels of Pb and Hg. However, our Pb and Hg levels in children were based on only urine samples without urinary correction and without consideration of the levels in any other bio-samples such as bloods. Therefore, to explore the Pb and Hg exposures using urine samples warrant further investigation with large sample size considering urinary correction and other bio-samples in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Hee Kim
- Department of Integrative Bioscience & Biotechnology, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Aram Lee
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Koo Kim
- College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo-Bang Moon
- Department of Marine Science and Convergent Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeongim Park
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyungho Choi
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungkyoon Kim
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health and Environment, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Vasques ICF, Lima FRD, Oliveira JR, de Morais EG, Pereira P, Guilherme LRG, Marques JJ. Comparison of bioaccessibility methods in spiked and field Hg-contaminated soils. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 254:126904. [PMID: 32957297 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Estimating bioaccessible content of mercury in soils is essential in evaluating risks that contaminated soils pose. In this study, soil samples spiked with HgCl2 through adsorption were used to test the effects of liming, soil organic matter, soil depth, and Hg concentration on the following bioaccessibility tests: dilute nitric acid at room temperature, dilute nitric acid at body temperature, Simplified Bioaccessibility Extraction Test (SBET) method, and gastric phase of the In vitro Gastrointestinal (IVG) protocol. Soil and sediment samples from Descoberto, Minas Gerais (Brazil), a city with a well-known record of Hg contamination from artisanal mining, were subjected to these bioaccessibility tests for the first time, and the different methods of estimating bioaccessible content were compared. Bioaccessible fractions in spiked samples ranged from 10% to 60%, and this high bioaccessibility was due to the highly soluble species of Hg and the short time under adsorption. In general, clay and organic matter decreased bioaccessible content. Although the soil in Descoberto is undoubtedly polluted, mercury bioaccessibility in that area is low. In general, dilute nitric acid estimated higher bioaccessible content in soil samples, whereas the SBET method estimated higher bioaccessible content in sediment samples. In multivariate analysis, two groups of bioaccessibility tests arise: one with the two nitric acid tests, and the other with SBET and the gastric phase of the IVG protocol. The addition of pepsin and glycine in the last two tests suggests a more reliable test for assessing mercury bioaccessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabela C F Vasques
- Departamento de Solos, Avenida PH Rolfs, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, 36570-000, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Francielle R D Lima
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Avenida Dr Sylvio Menecucci, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, 37200-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jakeline R Oliveira
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Avenida Dr Sylvio Menecucci, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, 37200-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Everton G de Morais
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Avenida Dr Sylvio Menecucci, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, 37200-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Polyana Pereira
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Avenida Dr Sylvio Menecucci, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, 37200-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Luiz Roberto G Guilherme
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Avenida Dr Sylvio Menecucci, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, 37200-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João José Marques
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Avenida Dr Sylvio Menecucci, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, 37200-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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Rodríguez-Estival J, Morales-Machuca C, Pareja-Carrera J, Ortiz-Santaliestra ME, Mateo R. Food safety risk assessment of metal pollution in crayfish from two historical mining areas: Accounting for bioavailability and cooking extractability. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2019; 185:109682. [PMID: 31557570 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Here we characterize the bioaccumulation of mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) from two river courses in Central Spain that are impacted by historical Hg and Pb mining activities, respectively. We estimate the absolute oral bioavailability of metals in crayfish tissues by means of in vitro bioaccessibility simulations, and assess whether their consumption may imply a health risk for humans by estimating target hazard quotients and safe consumption rates. We also study the effect of cooking crayfish on the mobilization of the metal body burden in the context of the traditional Spanish cuisine. The results showed that crayfish from the mining districts accumulated a high level of Hg and Pb pollution in both the tail muscle and the carcass. The in vitro bioaccessibility of Hg and Pb in the edible part was 27.86 ± 4.05 and 33.73 ± 5.91%, respectively. Absolute bioavailability was estimated to be 38.31 for Hg, and 20.21 (adults) and 67.35% (children) for Pb. Risk indices indicated that, even after adjusting for bioavailability, it is not safe to consume crayfish from the mining-impacted rivers because of their high levels of Hg and Pb. Using the carcass as a condiment for flavouring should also be avoided. The cooking procedure extracted relatively small amounts of the total Hg (8.92 ± 2.13%) and Pb (1.68 ± 0.29%) body burden. Further research that will support human and ecological risk assessment, along with the implementation of advisory measures for the local population as regards crayfish consumption, are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Rodríguez-Estival
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC - CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Carlos Morales-Machuca
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC - CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Jennifer Pareja-Carrera
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC - CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Manuel E Ortiz-Santaliestra
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC - CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC - CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
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9
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Imo D, Muff S, Schierl R, Byber K, Hitzke C, Bopp M, Maggi M, Bose-O'Reilly S, Held L, Dressel H. Human-biomonitoring and individual soil measurements for children and mothers in an area with recently detected mercury-contaminations and public health concerns: a cross-sectional study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH 2018; 28:391-406. [PMID: 29962229 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2018.1479517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we assessed intracorporal mercury concentrations in subjects living on partially mercury-contaminated soils in a defined area in Switzerland. We assessed 64 mothers and 107 children who resided in a defined area for at least 3 months. Mercury in biological samples (urine and hair) was measured, a detailed questionnaire was administered for each individual, and individual mercury soil values were obtained. Human biomonitoring results were compared with health-related and reference values. Mothers and children in our study had geometric means (GMs) of 0.22 µg Hg/g creatinine in urine (95th percentile (P95) = 0.85 µg Hg/g) and 0.16 µg Hg/g (P95 = 0.56 µg Hg/g), respectively. In hair, mothers and children had GMs of 0.21 µg Hg/g (P95 = 0.94 µg/g) and 0.18 µg/g (P95 = 0.60 µg/g), respectively. We found no evidence for an association between mercury values in soil and those in human specimens nor for a health threat in residential mothers and children.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Imo
- a Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute , University of Zurich & University Hospital Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Stefanie Muff
- b Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Rudolf Schierl
- c WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health, Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine , University Hospital Munich , Munich , Germany
| | - Katarzyna Byber
- a Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute , University of Zurich & University Hospital Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Christine Hitzke
- a Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute , University of Zurich & University Hospital Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Matthias Bopp
- d Division of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Marion Maggi
- a Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute , University of Zurich & University Hospital Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Stephan Bose-O'Reilly
- c WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health, Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine , University Hospital Munich , Munich , Germany
- e Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment , UMIT (University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology) , Hall in Tirol , Austria
| | - Leonhard Held
- b Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Holger Dressel
- a Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute , University of Zurich & University Hospital Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
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10
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Predicted Mercury Soil Concentrations from a Kriging Approach for Improved Human Health Risk Assessment. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15071326. [PMID: 29941794 PMCID: PMC6068646 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15071326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Health-risks from contaminated soils are assessed all over the world. An aspect that many risk assessments share is the heterogeneity in the distribution of contaminants. In a preceding study, we assessed potential health-risks for mothers and children living on mercury-contaminated soils in Switzerland using human biomonitoring-values (HBM) and soil samples. We assessed 64 mothers and 107 children who had resided in a defined area for at least 3 months. HBM-concentrations for mercury in urine and hair were measured, a detailed questionnaire was administered for each individual, and more than 4000 individual mercury soil values were obtained in 2015. In this study, we aimed at investigating possible associations of mercury soil- and HBM-values by re-analyzing our data, using predictions of the mercury concentrations at the exact location of the participant’s homes with a kriging approach. Although kriging proved to be a useful method to predict mercury soil concentrations, we did not detect an association between mercury soil- and HBM-values, in agreement with earlier findings. Benefits of geostatistical methods seem to be limited in the context of our study. Conclusions made in our preceding study about potential health risks for the residential population are robust and not altered by the current study.
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11
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Gutiérrez-Mosquera H, Sujitha SB, Jonathan MP, Sarkar SK, Medina-Mosquera F, Ayala-Mosquera H, Morales-Mira G, Arreola-Mendoza L. Mercury levels in human population from a mining district in Western Colombia. J Environ Sci (China) 2018; 68:83-90. [PMID: 29908748 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A biomonitoring study was carried out to examine the adverse impacts of total mercury in the blood (HgB), urine (HgU) and human scalp hair (HgH) on the residents of a mining district in Colombia. Representative biological samples (scalp hair, urine and blood) were collected from volunteered participants (n=63) to estimate the exposure levels of THg using a Direct mercury analyzer. The geometric mean of THg concentrations in the hair, urine and blood of males were 15.98μg/g, 23.89μg/L and 11.29μg/L respectively, whereas the females presented values of 8.55μg/g, 5.37μg/L and 8.80μg/L. Chronic urinary Hg (HgU) levels observed in male workers (32.53μg/L) are attributed to their long termed exposures to inorganic and metallic mercury from gold panning activities. On an average, the levels of THg are increasing from blood (10.05μg/L) to hair (12.27μg/g) to urine (14.63μg/L). Significant positive correlation was found between hair and blood urinary levels in both male and female individuals. Thus the present biomonitoring investigation to evaluate the Hg levels and associated health issues would positively form a framework for further developmental plans and policies in building an ecofriendly ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Gutiérrez-Mosquera
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, Carrera 22 No.18B-10, Quibdó, Colombia; Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Medellín, Carrera 87 No. 30-65, Medellín, Colombia
| | - S B Sujitha
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de junio de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P.07340 Ciudad de México, México
| | - M P Jonathan
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de junio de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P.07340 Ciudad de México, México.
| | - S K Sarkar
- Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Calcutta 700 019, India
| | - Fairy Medina-Mosquera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Ambientales del Pacífico (IIAP), Carrera 6 No. 37-39, Quibdó, Colombia
| | - Helcias Ayala-Mosquera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Ambientales del Pacífico (IIAP), Carrera 6 No. 37-39, Quibdó, Colombia
| | - Gladis Morales-Mira
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Medellín, Carrera 87 No. 30-65, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Laura Arreola-Mendoza
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de junio de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P.07340 Ciudad de México, México
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12
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Kadhum SA, Ishak MY, Zulkifli SZ. Estimation and influence of physicochemical properties and chemical fractions of surface sediment on the bioaccessibility of Cd and Hg contaminant in Langat River, Malaysia. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2017; 39:1145-1158. [PMID: 27848092 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-016-9883-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This study applied the use of sequential extraction technique and simple bioaccessibility extraction test to quantify the bioavailable fractions and the human bioaccessible concentration of metals collected from nine stations in surface sediment of the Langat River. The concentrations of total and bioaccessible metals from different stations were in the range of 0.49-1.04, 0.10-0.32 μg g-1 for T-Cd, Bio-Cd, respectively, and 12.9-128.03, 2.06-8.53 μg kg-1 for T-Hg, Bio-Hg, respectively. The results revealed highest R-Bio-Cd in Banting station (55.3 %), while the highest R-Bio-Hg was in Kajang station (49.61 %). The chemical speciation of Cd in most sampling stations was in the order of oxidisable-organic > residual > exchangeable > acid-reducible, while speciation of Hg was in the order of exchangeable > residual > oxidisable-organic > acid-reducible. The correlation matric of mean content showed that the TOM, particle size and Mg++ in polluted surface sediments was highly correlated with total mercury. The PCA showed that the main factors influencing the bioaccessibility of Hg in surface sediments were the sediment TOM, F1 (EFLE) and F3 (oxidation-organic), while the factor influencing the bioaccessibility of Cd was the F3 (oxidation-organic) and T-Cd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safaa A Kadhum
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Science, University of Qadisayah, The University Street, Diwaniyah City, Qadisiayh, 54004, Iraq
| | - Mohd Yusoff Ishak
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Syaizwan Zahmir Zulkifli
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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Shi YH, Xiao JJ, Feng RP, Liu YY, Liao M, Wu XW, Hua RM, Cao HQ. In-vitro bioaccessibility of five pyrethroids after human ingestion and the corresponding gastrointestinal digestion parameters: A contribution for human exposure assessments. CHEMOSPHERE 2017; 182:517-524. [PMID: 28521167 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.05.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Bioaccessibility is a crucial parameter in assessing the absorption of contaminants during the human digestive process, but few studies have involved the differences in the bioaccessibilities of pesticides. To investigate the mode of using the in vitro bioaccessibility to refine estimates of dietary exposure to pesticide residues, this study measured the bioaccessibilities of five pyrethroids in apples, and then, it modelled physicochemical predictors (gastrointestinal pH, digestive times, and the solid-liquid (S/L) ratio) of the bioaccessibilities of pyrethroids. Apple samples of gastric and intestinal phase digestive juices were obtained from an in vitro simulated digestion model. Our survey of in vitro digestion models found that the bioaccessibilities ranged from 4.42% to 31.22% and 10.58%-35.63% in the gastric and intestinal phases, respectively. A sharp trend similar to a normal distribution was observed between the bioaccessibilities and pH values. The bioaccessibility reached its highest value at a pH of 1.91 in the simulated gastric juice and did not significantly change with an increase of the digestive time. A significant negative correlation occurred between the bioaccessibility and S/L ratio, which followed a logarithmic equation. The correlation coefficients (R2) ranged from 0.9259 to 0.9831 and 0.9077 to 0.9960 in the simulated gastric and intestinal juice, respectively, suggested that both the pH value and S/L ratio were the main factors affecting the bioaccessibility. Furthermore, a combination of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) and bioaccessibility for human exposure assessments indicated the implication that traditional risk assessment using ADI may seriously overestimate the actual risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Hong Shi
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China; Provincial Key Laboratory for Agri-Food Safety, Anhui Province, China
| | - Jin-Jing Xiao
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Rong-Peng Feng
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Yu-Ying Liu
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Min Liao
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China; Provincial Key Laboratory for Agri-Food Safety, Anhui Province, China
| | - Xiang-Wei Wu
- Provincial Key Laboratory for Agri-Food Safety, Anhui Province, China
| | - Ri-Mao Hua
- Provincial Key Laboratory for Agri-Food Safety, Anhui Province, China
| | - Hai-Qun Cao
- School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China; Provincial Key Laboratory for Agri-Food Safety, Anhui Province, China.
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Bavec Š, Gosar M, Miler M, Biester H. Geochemical investigation of potentially harmful elements in household dust from a mercury-contaminated site, the town of Idrija (Slovenia). ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2017; 39:443-465. [PMID: 27056363 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-016-9819-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A comprehensive geochemical investigation of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in household dust from the town of Idrija (Slovenia), once a world-famous Hg mining town that is now seriously polluted, was performed for the first time. After aqua regia digestion, the content of mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) was measured. PHE-bearing particles were recognised and observed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry before and after exposure to simulated stomach acid (SSA). Mercury binding forms were identified by Hg thermal desorption technique and gastric bioaccessible Hg was estimated after SSA extraction by ICP-MS. With regard to rural and urban background values for Slovenia, high Hg content (6-120 mg/kg) and slightly elevated As content (1-13 mg/kg) were found. Mercury pollution is a result of past mining and ore processing activities. Arsenic content is potentially associated with As enrichment in local soils. Four Hg binding forms were identified: all samples contained Hg bound to the dust matrix, 14 samples contained cinnabar, two samples contained metallic Hg (Hg0), and one sample assumingly contained mercury oxide. After exposure to SSA, Hg-bearing phases showed no signs of dissolution, while other PHE-bearing phases were significantly morphologically and/or chemically altered. Estimated gastric Hg bioaccessibility was low (<0.006-0.09 %), which is in accordance with identified Hg binding forms and high organic carbon content (15.9-31.5 %) in the dust samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Špela Bavec
- Geological Survey of Slovenia, Dimičeva ulica 14, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Mateja Gosar
- Geological Survey of Slovenia, Dimičeva ulica 14, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miloš Miler
- Geological Survey of Slovenia, Dimičeva ulica 14, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Harald Biester
- Technical University Braunschweig, 38106, Brunswick, Germany
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Kadhum SA, Ishak MY, Zulkifli SZ, Hashim RB. Investigating geochemical factors affecting heavy metal bioaccessibility in surface sediment from Bernam River, Malaysia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017; 24:12991-13003. [PMID: 28378310 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-8833-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The present study applied the use of sequential extraction technique and simple bioaccessibility extraction test to investigate the bioavailable fractions and the human bioaccessible concentration of metals collected from nine stations in surface sediment of the Bernam River. The concentrations of total and bioaccessible metals from different stations were in the range of 0.30-1.43 μg g-1 and 0.04-0.14 μg g-1 for total cadmium and bioaccessibility of cadmium, respectively, 6.20-288 μg kg-1 and 2.06-8.53 μg kg-1 for total mercury and bioaccessibility of mercury, respectively, and 9.2-106.59 μg g-1 and 0.4-2.75 μg kg-1 for total tin and bioaccessibility of tin, respectively. The chemical speciation of Cd in most sampling stations was in the order of oxidisable-organic > acid-reducible > residual > exchangeable, while the chemical speciation of Hg was in the order of exchangeable > residual > oxidisable-organic > acid-reducible and the chemical speciation of Hg was in the order of residual > oxidisable-organic > acid-reducible > exchangeable. The principal component analysis showed that the main factors influencing the bioaccessibility of mercury in surface sediments were the sediment total organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and easily, freely, or leachable and exchangeable fraction, and the factors influencing the bioaccessibility of tin were the total tin and cation exchange capacity, while the bioaccessibility of Cd in surface sediments was influenced by the only factor which is the easily, freely, or leachable and exchangeable fraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safaa A Kadhum
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Science, University of Al-Qadisiyah, The University Street, Diwaniyah City, Qadisiyah, 54004, Iraq
| | - Mohd Yusoff Ishak
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Syaizwan Zahmir Zulkifli
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Rohasliney Binti Hashim
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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Al-Saleh I, Abduljabbar M, Al-Rouqi R, Eltabache C, Al-Rajudi T, Elkhatib R, Nester M. The extent of mercury (Hg) exposure among Saudi mothers and their respective infants. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2015; 187:678. [PMID: 26450688 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-015-4858-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A total of 1016 healthy Saudi mothers and their respective infants (aged 3-12 months) were recruited from 57 Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to evaluate the extent of mercury (Hg) exposure and predict its sources in the healthy Saudi population. Total Hg levels were measured in maternal urine, breast milk, blood, and hair and in the infants' urine and hair. Only 1.9% of the mothers had urinary Hg (UHg)>10 μg/l, the limit for asymptomatic adults recommended by the World Health Organization, but the median (0.99 μg/l) was higher than in other countries. Also, 49.3% of the mothers had UHg>1 μg/l, the German reference value for adults. Median infant UHg was 0.729 μg/l, and 77 and 93 % of the infants had levels higher than 0.4 and 0.1 μg/l, the reference values of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for Germany, respectively. The median Hg level in breast milk was 0.884 μg/l. Even though 43.2% of the milk samples were above the background level for Hg in human milk (1 μg/l), our results were lower than those reported from other countries. Median maternal total Hg in blood was 0.637 μg/l, and only 0.4 and 6.9% of samples were higher than the Hg reference levels of 5.8 μg/l of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and of 2 μg/l for Germany, respectively. Total Hg levels in hair (HHg) varied widely among mothers and infants, but only 3.9% of the mothers and 2.8% of the infants had HHg>1 μg/g (the EPA reference level). Median HHg values were 0.117 μg/g dry weight in mothers and 0.1 μg/g dry weight in infants; both were lower than in other countries. The Hg levels in mothers and their respective infants were relatively low, but our results were consistent with other studies indicating that dental amalgam fillings and fish consumption were the main predictors of maternal Hg exposure. Among the several biomarkers of Hg exposure, Hg levels in maternal hair and urine were the strongest predictors of infant exposure. The lack of an association between Hg in breast milk and Hg in infant urine and hair suggested that the infants were exposed to Hg predominately during pregnancy rather than during breastfeeding. We expect that our data can serve as a baseline for further biomonitoring and follow-up studies, particularly of the long-term impact of Hg on childhood neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Al-Saleh
- Environmental Health Section, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, PO Box: 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Mai Abduljabbar
- Environmental Health Section, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, PO Box: 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Al-Rouqi
- Environmental Health Section, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, PO Box: 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia
| | - Chafica Eltabache
- Environmental Health Section, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, PO Box: 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tahreer Al-Rajudi
- Environmental Health Section, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, PO Box: 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rola Elkhatib
- Environmental Health Section, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, PO Box: 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael Nester
- Department of Neurosciences, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, PO Box: 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia
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