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Shaw S, He X, Haban A, Tomasallo C, Meiman J. A focus group study of fish consumption behaviors among Asian women in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prev Med Rep 2023; 36:102528. [PMID: 38116265 PMCID: PMC10728455 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Consumption of locally caught fish provides health benefits but can be a route of exposure to methylmercury and other persistent environmental contaminants. Previous studies found that Asian women of childbearing age (WCBA) in the Milwaukee area have high levels of exposure through fish consumption but limited awareness of fish advisories. We conducted a focus group project to understand the influence of culture, attitudes, and beliefs on the fish consumption habits of Chinese, Hmong, and Karen WCBA who reside in the Milwaukee area to develop culturally appropriate educational materials. A total of 19 women aged 18-50 years identifying as Chinese, Hmong, or Karen were recruited. Three focus groups were held, each consisting of 6-7 participants from one ethnicity. Focus group transcripts were thematically analyzed and coded based on the integrated behavioral model. Nutritional benefits and availability were the most common reasons to eat locally caught fish. All participants were aware of risks associated with eating fish, yet few knew ways to mitigate risk and maximize benefits. Participants expressed interest in receiving health messages from trusted sources and recommended that messaging target families rather than just individuals. Participants who were confident in their self-efficacy expressed a greater likelihood of following health message guidelines. Results suggest providing culturally appropriate educational materials in preferred languages to Asian communities via local community organizations may increase self-efficacy and adherence to fish advisories. Future projects will evaluate the effectiveness of self-affirmation messaging among Asian WCBA and assess changes in fish consumption based on message content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Summer Shaw
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI, United States
- CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Xiaofei He
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Amanda Haban
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Carrie Tomasallo
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Jon Meiman
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI, United States
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Liu M, Nordstrom M, Forand S, Lewis-Michl E, Wattigney WA, Kannan K, Wang W, Irvin-Barnwell E, Hwang SA. Assessing exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in two populations of Great Lakes Basin fish consumers in Western New York State. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2021; 240:113902. [PMID: 34915281 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fish and other seafood are an important dietary source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure in many areas of the world, and PFAS were found to be pervasive in fish from the Great Lakes area. Few studies, however, have examined the associations between Great Lakes Basin fish consumption and PFAS exposure. Many licensed anglers and Burmese refugees and immigrants residing in western New York State consume fish caught from the Great Lakes and surrounding waters, raising their risk of exposure to environmental contaminants including PFAS. The aims of this study were to: 1) present the PFAS exposure profile of the licensed anglers and Burmese refugees and 2) examine the associations between serum PFAS levels and local fish consumption. METHODS Licensed anglers (n = 397) and Burmese participants (n = 199) provided blood samples and completed a detailed questionnaire in 2013. We measured 12 PFAS in serum. Multiple linear regression was used to assess associations between serum PFAS concentrations and self-reported consumption of fish from Great Lakes waters. RESULTS Licensed anglers and Burmese participants reported consuming a median of 16 (IQR: 6-36) and 88 (IQR: 44-132) meals of locally caught fish in the year before sample collection, respectively (data for Burmese group restricted to 10 months of the year). Five PFAS were detected in almost all study participants (PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA and PFDA; 97.5-100%). PFOS had the highest median serum concentration in licensed anglers (11.6 ng/mL) and the Burmese (35.6 ng/mL), approximately two and six times that of the U.S. general population, respectively. Serum levels of other PFAS in both groups were generally low and comparable to those in the general U.S. POPULATION Among licensed anglers, Great Lakes Basin fish meals over the past year were positively associated with serum PFOS (P < 0.0001), PFDA (P < 0.0001), PFHxS (P = 0.01), and PFNA (P = 0.02) and the number of years consuming locally caught fish was positively associated with serum PFOS (P = 0.01) and PFDA (P = 0.01) levels. In the Burmese group, consuming Great Lakes Basin fish more than three times a week in the past summer was positively associated with serum PFOS (P = 0.004) and PFDA (P = 0.02) among the Burmese of non-Karen ethnicity, but not among those of Karen ethnicity, suggesting potential ethnic differences in PFAS exposure. CONCLUSIONS Great Lakes Basin fish consumption was associated with an increase in blood concentrations of some PFAS, and especially of PFOS, among licensed anglers and Burmese refugees and immigrants in western New York State. In the Burmese population, there may be other important PFAS exposure routes related to residential history and ethnicity. Continued outreach efforts to increase fish advisory awareness and reduce exposure to contaminants are needed among these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Liu
- New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Epidemiology, Empire State Plaza-Corning Tower, Room 1203, Albany, NY, 12237, United States.
| | - Monica Nordstrom
- New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Epidemiology, Empire State Plaza-Corning Tower, Room 1203, Albany, NY, 12237, United States
| | - Steven Forand
- New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Epidemiology, Empire State Plaza-Corning Tower, Room 1203, Albany, NY, 12237, United States
| | - Elizabeth Lewis-Michl
- New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Epidemiology, Empire State Plaza-Corning Tower, Room 1203, Albany, NY, 12237, United States
| | - Wendy A Wattigney
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Toxicology and Human Health Science, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA, 30341, United States
| | - Kurunthachalam Kannan
- New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY, 12201, United States; New York University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and Department of Environmental Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, United States
| | - Wei Wang
- New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY, 12201, United States
| | - Elizabeth Irvin-Barnwell
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Toxicology and Human Health Science, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA, 30341, United States
| | - Syni-An Hwang
- New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Epidemiology, Empire State Plaza-Corning Tower, Room 1203, Albany, NY, 12237, United States; University at Albany, School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, One University Place, Rensselaer, NY, 12144, United States
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Ruelas-Inzunza J, Amezcua F, Coiraton C, Páez-Osuna F. Cadmium, mercury, and selenium in muscle of the scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini from the tropical Eastern Pacific: Variation with age, molar ratios and human health risk. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 242:125180. [PMID: 31698208 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
With the aim of assessing health risk to shark consumers, cadmium, mercury, and selenium were measured in muscle of Sphyrna lewini from four coastal states (Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Nayarit, and Colima) in western Mexico. According to length of specimens, three age modes were found: juveniles and neonates (the majority of the individuals), preadults and adults. Average concentrations (μg g-1 dry weight) in all the studied individuals followed the order cadmium (0.06), selenium (0.94), and mercury (1.56). The mean concentrations of cadmium and mercury increased significantly (p < 0.001) with mean length of specimens. Overall, hazard quotient and hazard index values were below one so there is no health risk to consumers. According to molar ratios of Hg and Se in the edible portion (muscle) of sharks, and depending on the areas of collection, individuals from Baja California Sur might not be beneficial to consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Ruelas-Inzunza
- Instituto Tecnológico de Mazatlán, Calle Corsario 1, No. 203, Col. Urías, 82070, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico.
| | - Felipe Amezcua
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Joel Montes Camarena s/n, 82040, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
| | - Claire Coiraton
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Ciudad Universitaria 3000, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Federico Páez-Osuna
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Joel Montes Camarena s/n, 82040, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
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Zamora-Arellano NY, Betancourt-Lozano M, Ilizaliturri-Hernández C, García-Hernández J, Jara-Marini M, Chávez-Sánchez C, Ruelas-Inzunza JR. Mercury Levels and Risk Implications Through Fish Consumption on the Sinaloa Coasts (Gulf of California, Northwest Mexico). RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2018; 38:2646-2658. [PMID: 30229961 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Fish consumption is the major source of mercury to humans. Fetuses and children are the most sensitive groups of populations to the effects of mercury. Consequently, fish consumption by pregnant women, children, and women of childbearing age is of concern because of the effects of mercury exposure on human health. To assess mercury exposure in a population in northwest Mexico, the allowed daily consumption of fish (which indicates the maximum daily amount of fish that can be consumed without causing adverse noncarcinogenic effects) was calculated for the general population (GP) and fishing-related population (FRP). The studied groups for both sectors of the population were children A (3-10 years old), children B (11-15 years old), women of childbearing age (16-40 years old), and the rest of the population (men ≥16 years old, and women ≥41 years old). Mercury content in canned and frozen tuna, smoked marlin, tilapia, Pacific sierra, dolphinfish, and bullseye puffer ranged from 0.01 to 0.23 μg/g wet weight; none of the values were above the limit set by Mexico. Regarding mercury concentrations and rates of fish consumption, the GP consumes 1.7-2.7 times the allowed daily consumption, and the FRP consumes 1.6-3.9 that limit. The risk analysis showed the children A and B groups from the GP and adults of FRP to be the highest percentage of the population at risk (approximately 35%). These results highlight the need for adequate strategies that consider mercury exposure as part of public health policies associated with fish consumption in Mexico.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miguel Betancourt-Lozano
- Laboratory of Ecotoxicology, Center for Research in Food and Development, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
| | | | | | - Matín Jara-Marini
- Laboratory of Ecotoxicology, Center for Research in Food and Development, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
| | - Cristina Chávez-Sánchez
- Laboratory of Ecotoxicology, Center for Research in Food and Development, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
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