Almeida W F, Pregnolatto W, Pigati P
Bull World Health Organ. 1976;53 Suppl(Suppl):133-8.
A methoxyethyl mercuric compound, licensed in Brazil as a fungicide for seed dressing, was widely used for spraying tomato and other vegetable crops in 1966 and 1967.Mercury residues ranging from 0.05 to 0.30 mg/kg were detected in 14% of the tomatoes, 13% of other vegetable samples, and 57% of the tomato paste batches.A wide campaign through newspapers, radio, and television was quickly established to educate farmers and the population in general on the hazards of ingestion of mercury-contaminated food.All samples of tomatoes and other vegetables positive for mercury (residues above 0.05 mg/kg) were destroyed. Inspection posts on the main roads and highways prevented the delivery of contaminated food to cities and food processing plants.The sale of organomercury fungicides is now controlled in Brazil; however, treated seeds which are not planted may be diverted to human or animal consumption. There is no official record of accidents, but occasional cases of poisoning are known.The mercury residue level in Brazilian fish is low, indicating that environmental pollution by mercury is not a big problem in the country. However, some fresh-water and estuarine fish may contain mercury residues ranging from 0.01 to 0.66 mg/kg.
一种在巴西被许可用作拌种杀菌剂的甲氧基乙基汞化合物，在1966年和1967年被广泛用于喷洒番茄及其他蔬菜作物。在14%的番茄、13%的其他蔬菜样本以及57%的番茄酱批次中检测到汞残留量在0.05至0.30毫克/千克之间。通过报纸、广播和电视迅速开展了一场广泛的宣传活动，以教育农民和广大民众摄入汞污染食品的危害。所有汞检测呈阳性（残留量高于0.05毫克/千克）的番茄和其他蔬菜样本均被销毁。主要道路和高速公路上的检查站阻止了受污染食品运往城市和食品加工厂。目前巴西对有机汞杀菌剂的销售进行管控；然而，未种植的经处理种子可能会被转用于人类或动物食用。没有事故的官方记录，但已知有偶尔的中毒案例。巴西鱼类中的汞残留水平较低，表明该国汞对环境的污染不是一个大问题。然而，一些淡水鱼和河口鱼可能含有0.01至0.66毫克/千克的汞残留。
