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Monitoring Mercury Exposure in Reproductive Aged Women Inhabiting the Tapajós River Basin, Amazon.

Authors :
Corvelo, Tereza
Oliveira, Érika
Parijós, Amanda
Oliveira, Claudia
Loiola, Rosane
Araújo, Amélia
Costa, Carlos
Silveira, Luiz
Pinheiro, Maria
Source :
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology; Jul2014, Vol. 93 Issue 1, p42-46, 5p
Publication Year :
2014

Abstract

Among Amazonian communities, exposure to methylmercury is associated mainly with fish consumption that may affect fetal development in pregnant women. Therefore a temporal assessment was performed to assess the exposure of reproductive aged women to mercury who reside in the riparian communities of São Luís do Tapajós and Barreiras located in the Tapajós basin of the Brazilian Amazon from 1999 to 2012. The total mercury concentration in the 519 hair samples was assessed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. Data analysis showed that the average total mercury concentration decreased from 1.066 to 0.743 μg/g in those years. In 1999 the proportion of volunteers with mercury levels ≥10 μg/g was approximately 68 %. In general, exposure to mercury decreased among women of reproductive age, but the potential risks to reproduction and human health is still an issue as 22 % of the woman continued showing high mercury levels (≥10 μg/g) in 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00074861
Volume :
93
Issue :
1
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
96383916
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1279-5