Mercury in hair for a child population from Tarragona Province, Spain

doi:10.1016/S0048-9697(96)05340-5

Science of The Total Environment

Volume 193, Issue 2, 20 December 1996, Pages 143-148

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-9697(96)05340-5 Get rights and content

Abstract

Mercury concentrations were determined in scalp hair of 233 school children aged 6–16 years. The study was carried out in three communities (Flix, Tarragona and Tortosa) from Tarragona Province (Southern Catalonia, Spain). The influence of the variables place of residence, age, sex, fish and seafood consumption, number of dental amalgam fillings, hair color, parents' occupation, and smoking habits of the household members was also examined. The geometric mean mercury concentration in hair was 0.77 μg/g. The place of residence, sex, and the frequency in consuming fish and seafood were the variables that significantly affected hair mercury concentrations. Girls had more mercury in their hair than boys, whereas hair mercury levels were significantly correlated with the frequency in the fish and seafood consumption, with the levels being more elevated when the fish and seafood consumption was also higher. Hair mercury concentrations were also affected by the place of residence, with school children of Flix showing lower mercury concentrations than those found in children from Tarragona and Tortosa. The remaining variables had no influence on hair mercury levels.

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Mercury in hair for a child population from Tarragona Province, Spain

Abstract

Sci. Total Environ.

Sci. Total Environ.

Sci. Total Environ.

Sci. Total Environ.

Toxicology

Spain. Sci. Total Environ.

Sci. Total Environ.

Chemosphere

Chemosphere

Mar. Pollut. Bull.

Sci. Total Environ.

Environmental distribution and transformation of mercury compounds

Crit. Rev. Environ. Sci. Technol.

Mercury and monomethylmercury: present and future concerns

Environ, Health Perspect

Mercury: major issues in environmental health

Environ. Health Perspect

Minamata disease: methylmercury poisoning in Japan caused by environmental pollution

Crit. Rev. Toxicol.

Elevation of mercury in human blood from controlled chronic ingestion of methylmercury in fish

Human Toxicol.

High hair and urinary mercury levels of fish eaters in the nonpolluted environment of Papua New Guinea

Arch. Environ. Health