Bose-O'Reilly Stephan, Schierl Rudolf, Nowak Dennis, Siebert Uwe, William Jossep Frederick, Owi Fradico Teorgi, Ir Yuyun Ismawati
University Hospital Munich, Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health, Ziemssenstr. 1, d-80336 Munich, Germany; University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology (UMIT), Department of Public Health and Health Technology Assessment, Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment, Eduard Wallnoefer Center I, A-6060 Hall i.T., Austria.
University Hospital Munich, Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health, Ziemssenstr. 1, d-80336 Munich, Germany.
Environ Res. 2016 Aug;149:274-281. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2016.04.007. Epub 2016 May 9.
Cisitu is a small-scale gold mining village in Indonesia. Mercury (Hg) is used to extract gold from ore, heavily polluting air, soil, fish and rice paddy fields with Hg. Rice in Cisitu is burdened with mercury. The main staple food of the inhabitants of Cisitu is this polluted rice. Villagers were concerned that the severe diseases they observed in the community might be related to their mining activities, including high mercury exposure. Case report of the medical examinations and the mercury levels in urine and hair of 18 people with neurological symptoms. Typical signs and symptoms of chronic mercury intoxication were found (excessive salivation, sleep disturbances, tremor, ataxia, dysdiadochokinesia, pathological coordination tests, gray to bluish discoloration of the oral cavity and proteinuria). Mercury levels in urine were increased in eight patients (>7µg Hg/L urine). All 18 people had increased hair levels (>1µg Hg/g hair). 15 patients exhibited several, and sometimes numerous, symptoms in addition to having moderately to highly elevated levels of mercury in their specimens. These patients were classified as intoxicated. The situation in Cisitu is special, with rice paddy fields being irrigated with mercury-contaminated water and villagers consuming only local food, especially mercury-contaminated rice. Severe neurological symptoms and increased levels of mercury in urine and hair support are possibly caused by exposure to inorganic mercury in air, and the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish and rice. The mercury exposure needs to be reduced and treatment provided. Further research is needed to test the hypothesis that mercury-contaminated rice from small-scale gold mining areas might cause mercury intoxication.
西斯图是印度尼西亚一个小规模的金矿开采村庄。汞（Hg）被用于从矿石中提取黄金，导致空气、土壤、鱼类和稻田受到汞的严重污染。西斯图的大米汞含量超标。西斯图居民的主要主食就是这种受污染的大米。村民们担心他们在社区中观察到的严重疾病可能与他们的采矿活动有关，包括高汞暴露。对18名有神经症状的人员进行医学检查以及检测其尿液和头发中汞含量的病例报告。发现了慢性汞中毒的典型体征和症状（流涎过多、睡眠障碍、震颤、共济失调、轮替运动障碍、病理协调试验、口腔呈灰色至蓝色变色以及蛋白尿）。8名患者的尿液汞含量升高（>7μg Hg/L尿液）。所有18人的头发汞含量均升高（>1μg Hg/g头发）。15名患者除了样本中的汞含量中度至高度升高外，还表现出多种，有时是大量的症状。这些患者被归类为中毒。西斯图的情况特殊，稻田用受汞污染的水灌溉，村民只食用当地食物，尤其是受汞污染的大米。严重的神经症状以及尿液和头发中汞含量升高可能是由于接触空气中的无机汞以及食用受汞污染的鱼类和大米所致。需要减少汞暴露并提供治疗。需要进一步研究来验证来自小规模金矿开采地区的受汞污染大米可能导致汞中毒这一假设。
