METHYLMERCURY EXPOSURE FROM FISH CONSUMPTION IN WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE IN AYA PEL, COLOMBIA
The municipality of Ayapel is located in the department of Córdoba in northwestern Colombia on the Ciénaga de Ayapel banks, which is the main food and water pantry for the region. Unfortunately, this marsh has been impacted for decades by the artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities, as well as ferronickel and coal exploitations performed in its surroundings. This study evaluated the risk to human health from mercury exposure through fish consumption in 163 women childbearing age (18-38 years old) in Ayapel. Questionnaire-based surveys were used to collect data on fish consumption (type and frequency), age, body weight, among other variables, and information about the weekly amount of fish consumed. Total mercury (Hg-T) and MeHg concentrations were analyzed in hair samples, fish, and the weekly intake of Hg-T (WI-Hg) and MeHg (WI-MeHg) due to the consumption of fish was also calculated. Our results show that Hg concentrations in carnivorous fish were significantly higher (p<0.05) than in the others. On the other hand, concentrations of Hg-T in woman hair ranged from 0.11 to 6.71 ppm, and the mean value for the subjects under study was 1.41 ± 1.20 ppm. MeHg percentage in the hair samples ranged from 64 to 90% with a mean value of 83 ± 5 %. Values of WI-Me- Hg ranged between 0.004 and 13.2 with a mean of 1.4 ± 2.0. A high percentage (23%) of subjects had WI-MeHg values higher than the tolerable provisional weekly intake of 1.6 μg/kg/week. Moreover, significant correlations (p <0.01) were recorded among the concentration of Hg-T in hair with WI-Hg (r = 0.27), WI-MeHg (r = 0.27) and the amount of fish consumed weekly (r = 0.24). In sum, our results suggest a risk scenario for health due to exposure to MeHg due to the consumption of fish in one of the most sensitive population groups. Likewise, these results on women of childbearing age revealed a worrying situation, which should be serve to the competent authorities for the design and implementation of preventive actions in search of the sustainability of the well-being and health of current and future generations.
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | comunicación de congreso biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2019
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| Subjects: | Mercury, Methylmercury, Fish, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/204258 |
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