Karouna-Renier Natalie K, Ranga Rao K, Lanza John J, Rivers Samantha D, Wilson Patricia A, Hodges Denise K, Levine Keith E, Ross Glenn T
Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, USA.
Environ Res. 2008 Nov;108(3):320-6. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2008.08.005. Epub 2008 Sep 23.
The southeastern United States, and in particular the coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf Coast) in Florida, experience some of the highest levels of mercury deposition in the country. Although the State of Florida's coastal border is among the longest in the United States, and the State has issued fish consumption advisories due to mercury on multiple fish species, few data have been systematically collected to assess mercury levels in the human population of the state or to assess the efficacy of the consumption advisories. Because of the generally high rate of seafood consumption among coastal populations, the human population in the Florida Panhandle, near Pensacola, FL is potentially exposed to elevated levels of mercury. In the present study, we analyzed hair mercury levels in women of child-bearing age (16-49 years) who had resided near Pensacola, FL for at least 1 year. We also surveyed the fish consumption practices of the cohort and evaluated awareness of the Florida Fish Consumption Advisory. Hair mercury levels were significantly higher in women who consumed fish within the 30 days prior to sampling (p<0.05) and in those women who were unaware of the consumption advisory (p<0.05). Only 31% of the women reported knowledge of the consumption advisory and pregnant women exhibited lower awareness of the advisory than non-pregnant women. The data suggest that public health interventions such as education and fish advisories have not reached the majority of women in the counties surrounding Pensacola who are most at risk from consumption of fish with high levels of mercury.
美国东南部，尤其是佛罗里达州沿墨西哥湾的沿海地区（墨西哥湾沿岸），是美国汞沉积量最高的地区之一。尽管佛罗里达州的海岸边界是美国最长的海岸边界之一，且该州已针对多种鱼类发布了因汞污染而提出的鱼类消费建议，但很少有数据被系统收集，以评估该州人口中的汞含量水平，或评估这些消费建议的有效性。由于沿海人口普遍海鲜消费量较高，佛罗里达州彭萨科拉附近的佛罗里达狭长地带的人口可能接触到更高水平的汞。在本研究中，我们分析了居住在佛罗里达州彭萨科拉附近至少1年的育龄妇女（16 - 49岁）的头发汞含量水平。我们还调查了该队列的鱼类消费习惯，并评估了对佛罗里达州鱼类消费建议的知晓情况。在采样前30天内食用过鱼类的妇女（p<0.05）以及那些不知道消费建议的妇女（p<0.05），其头发汞含量水平显著更高。只有31%的妇女报告知晓消费建议，且孕妇对该建议的知晓度低于非孕妇。数据表明，诸如教育和鱼类消费建议等公共卫生干预措施尚未覆盖彭萨科拉周边各县中最易因食用汞含量高的鱼类而面临风险的大多数妇女。
