Dataset Information

Mercury levels in pregnant women, children, and seafood from Mexico City.

ABSTRACT: Mercury is a global contaminant of concern though little is known about exposures in México.To characterize mercury levels in pregnant women, children, and commonly consumed seafood samples.Use resources of the Early Life Exposures in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohorts to measure total mercury levels in archived samples from 348 pregnant women (blood from three trimesters and cord blood), 825 offspring (blood, hair, and urine) and their mothers (hair), and 91 seafood and canned tuna samples from Mexico City.Maternal blood mercury levels correlated across three trimesters and averaged 3.4 ?g/L. Cord blood mercury averaged 4.7 ?g/L and correlated with maternal blood from trimester 3 (but not trimesters 1 and 2). In children, blood, hair and urine mercury levels correlated and averaged 1.8 ?g/L, 0.6 ?g/g, and 0.9 ?g/L, respectively. Hair mercury was 0.5 ?g/g in mothers and correlated with child's hair. Mean consumption of canned tuna, fresh fish, canned sardine, and shellfish was 3.1, 2.2, 0.5, and 1.0 times per month respectively in pregnant women. Mean mercury content in 7 of 23 seafood species and 5 of 9 canned tuna brands purchased exceeded the U.S. EPA guidance value of 0.3 ?g/g.Mercury exposures in pregnant women and children from Mexico City, via biomarker studies, are generally 3-5 times greater than values reported in population surveys from the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere. In particular, mercury levels in 29-39% of the maternal participants exceeded the biomonitoring guideline associated with the U.S. EPA reference dose for mercury.

SUBMITTER: Basu N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4262596 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Mercury levels in pregnant women, children, and seafood from Mexico City.

Basu Niladri N Tutino Rebecca R Zhang Zhenzhen Z Cantonwine David E DE Goodrich Jaclyn M JM Somers Emily C EC Rodriguez Lauren L Schnaas Lourdes L Solano Maritsa M Mercado Adriana A Peterson Karen K Sánchez Brisa N BN Hernández-Avila Mauricio M Hu Howard H Maria Téllez-Rojo Martha M

Environmental research 20140927

<h4>Background</h4>Mercury is a global contaminant of concern though little is known about exposures in México.<h4>Objectives</h4>To characterize mercury levels in pregnant women, children, and commonly consumed seafood samples.<h4>Methods</h4>Use resources of the Early Life Exposures in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohorts to measure total mercury levels in archived samples from 348 pregnant women (blood from three trimesters and cord blood), 825 offspring (blood, hair, and ...[more]

PMID: 25262076

Similar Datasets

Project description:Emissions of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM or Hg0) from different sources in urban areas are important subjects for environmental investigations. In this study, atmospheric Hg measurements were conducted to investigate air pollution in the urban environment by carrying out several mobile surveys in Mexico City. This work presents atmospheric concentrations of GEM in terms of diurnal variation trends and comparisons with criteria for pollutant concentrations such as CO, SO2, NO2, PM2.5, and PM10. The concentration of GEM was measured during the pre-rainy period by using a high-resolution active air sampler, the Lumex RA 915 M mercury analyzer. In comparison with those for other cities worldwide, the GEM concentrations were similar or slightly elevated, and they ranged from 0.20 to 30.23 ng m-3. However, the GEM concentration was significantly lower than those in contaminated areas, such as fluorescent lamp factory locations and gold mining zones. The GEM concentrations recorded in Mexico City did not exceed the WHO atmospheric limit of 200 ng m-3. We performed statistical correlation analysis which suggests equivalent sources between Hg and other atmospheric pollutants, mainly NO2 and SO2, emitted from urban combustion and industrial plants. The atmospheric Hg emissions are basically controlled by sunlight radiation, as well as having a direct relationship with meteorological parameters. The area of the city studied herein is characterized by high traffic density, cement production, and municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment, which constantly release GEM into the atmosphere. In this study, we included the simulation with the HYSPLIT dispersion model from three potential areas of GEM release. Emissions from industrial corridors and volcanic plumes localized outside the urban area contribute to the pollution of Mexico City and mainly affect the northern area during specific periods and climate conditions. Using the USEPA model, we assessed the human health risk resulting from exposure to inhaled GEM among residents of Mexico City. The results of the health risk assessment indicated no significant noncarcinogenic risk (hazard quotient (HQ) < 1) or consequent adverse effects for children and adults living in the sampling area over the study period. GEM emissions inventory data is necessary to improve our knowledge about the Hg contribution and effect in urban megacity areas with the objective to develop public safe policy and implementing the Minamata Convention.

Dataset Information

Mercury levels in pregnant women, children, and seafood from Mexico City.

Publications

Mercury levels in pregnant women, children, and seafood from Mexico City.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets