Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU-Murcia), Hospital University Virgen de la Arrixaca, El Palmar, Murcia CP 30120, Spain.
Eur J Pediatr. 2009 Sep;168(9):1075-80. doi: 10.1007/s00431-008-0890-z. Epub 2008 Dec 19.
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a bioaccumulable toxin in the trophic chain and a powerful neurotoxin during fetal and child development. Consumption of contaminated fish and shellfish is a principal environmental source of MeHg exposure. This study was designed to assess the Hg and estimated MeHg intake in vulnerable groups of the Murcia region, a Mediterranean part of Spain, compared with international regulations. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess seafood consumptions in 320 children younger than 10 years, 301 women of childbearing age, and 537 pregnant women. Hg concentrations were measured in the most consumed fish products by cold vapor generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The weekly intake of MeHg (microg/kg bw/week) was 2.60 (95% CI = 2.10-3.10) in children 1-5 years, 2.65 (95% CI = 2.26-3.03) in children 6-10 years, 0.98 (95% CI = 0.89-1.07) in women of childbearing age, and 0.88 (95% CI = 0.81-0.95) in pregnant women. The main exposure to MeHg, especially in young children, is related to intake of bluefin tuna and swordfish. Fifty-four percent of children aged 1-10 years, 10% of pregnant women, and 15% of women of childbearing age exceed the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives provisional tolerable weekly intake of MeHg. In the Murcia region, where fish is a central component of the diet, the focus should be on educating vulnerable populations to reorient fish consumption in order to lower the amount of Hg incorporated with the diet as well as to reduce Hg emissions into the environment.
甲基汞（MeHg）是食物链中可生物累积的毒素，也是胎儿和儿童发育过程中的一种强力神经毒素。食用受污染的鱼类和贝类是人体接触 MeHg 的主要环境来源。本研究旨在评估西班牙地中海地区穆尔西亚地区的弱势群体的汞和估计的 MeHg 摄入量，并与国际法规进行比较。采用经过验证的食物频率问卷评估了 320 名 10 岁以下儿童、301 名育龄妇女和 537 名孕妇的海鲜消费情况。采用冷蒸气发生-原子荧光光谱法测定了最常食用的鱼类产品中的汞浓度。1-5 岁儿童每周 MeHg 摄入量（μg/kg bw/周）为 2.60（95%CI=2.10-3.10），6-10 岁儿童为 2.65（95%CI=2.26-3.03），育龄妇女为 0.98（95%CI=0.89-1.07），孕妇为 0.88（95%CI=0.81-0.95）。MeHg 的主要暴露途径，尤其是对幼儿而言，与摄入金枪鱼和箭鱼有关。1-10 岁儿童中有 54%、孕妇中有 10%、育龄妇女中有 15%超过了食品添加剂联合专家委员会暂定每周耐受摄入量。在鱼类是饮食核心组成部分的穆尔西亚地区，应重点教育弱势群体重新调整鱼类消费，以减少饮食中汞的含量，并减少汞向环境中的排放。
