Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1057, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Environ Health. 2010 Jan 11;9:1. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-9-1.
Elevated concentrations of mercury have been documented in fish in Lake Chapala in central Mexico, an area that is home to a large subsistence fishing community. However, neither the extent of human mercury exposure nor its sources and routes have been elucidated.
Total mercury concentrations were measured in samples of fish from Lake Chapala; in sections of sediment cores from the delta of Rio Lerma, the major tributary to the lake; and in a series of suspended-particle samples collected at sites from the mouth of the Lerma to mid-Lake. A cross-sectional survey of 92 women ranging in age from 18-45 years was conducted in three communities along the Lake to investigate the relationship between fish consumption and hair mercury concentrations among women of child-bearing age.
Highest concentrations of mercury in fish samples were found in carp (mean 0.87 ppm). Sediment data suggest a pattern of moderate ongoing contamination. Analyses of particles filtered from the water column showed highest concentrations of mercury near the mouth of the Lerma. In the human study, 27.2% of women had >1 ppm hair mercury. On multivariable analysis, carp consumption and consumption of fish purchased or captured from Lake Chapala were both associated with significantly higher mean hair mercury concentrations.
Our preliminary data indicate that, despite a moderate level of contamination in recent sediments and suspended particulate matter, carp in Lake Chapala contain mercury concentrations of concern for local fish consumers. Consumption of carp appears to contribute significantly to body burden in this population. Further studies of the consequences of prenatal exposure for child neurodevelopment are being initiated.
墨西哥中部查帕拉湖的鱼类中已发现汞浓度升高，该地区是一个大型自给性渔业社区的所在地。然而，人类汞暴露的程度及其来源和途径仍不清楚。
测量了来自查帕拉湖的鱼类样本、里奥莱尔马三角洲的沉积物芯部分以及从莱尔马河口到湖中部的一系列悬浮颗粒样本中的总汞浓度。在沿湖的三个社区中对 92 名年龄在 18-45 岁之间的妇女进行了横断面调查，以研究鱼类消费与育龄妇女头发中汞浓度之间的关系。
在鱼类样本中，鲤鱼的汞浓度最高（平均值为 0.87ppm）。沉积物数据表明存在持续中度污染的模式。对从水柱中过滤的颗粒进行的分析表明，在莱尔马河口附近汞浓度最高。在人体研究中，27.2%的妇女头发中汞含量>1ppm。在多变量分析中，食用鲤鱼和从查帕拉湖购买或捕获的鱼类与头发中汞浓度显著升高有关。
我们的初步数据表明，尽管最近的沉积物和悬浮颗粒物中存在中度污染，但查帕拉湖的鲤鱼中含有令人担忧的汞浓度，这对当地鱼类消费者构成了威胁。鲤鱼的食用似乎对该人群的体内负荷有重大贡献。正在启动进一步研究产前暴露对儿童神经发育的影响。
