National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Institute of Food Safety and Risk Management, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2018 May;221(4):697-703. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.03.002. Epub 2018 Mar 15.
Fish and seafood consumption is a major source of human exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). This study evaluated the potential health risk of MeHg in Taiwanese children from fish and seafood consumption using a toxicokinetic model, hazard quotients and hazard indices (HIs). Two biomonitoring programs provided an important resource for blood specimens for assessing MeHg exposure in human populations. For internal exposures, total mercury (THg) was measured as a biomarker of MeHg in whole blood (WB) and red blood cells using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and cold-vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy, respectively. The THg concentrations were used to estimate MeHg concentrations. Consumption of fish and seafood was assessed using the National Food Consumption database in Taiwan, while mercury concentrations in edible fish and seafood were collected from published studies in Taiwan. Our results indicated that 1) the highest median THg (representing estimated MeHg) daily intakes were found to decrease with increasing age in children consuming saltwater fish for age groups 0-3, 4-6, 7-12, and 13-18 years: 0.03 > 0.02 > 0.017 > 0.007 (μg kg-BW day); 2) HI greater than one, based on WB-THg, was found in 28% of 4-6-year-old children and 3) internal exposure estimates based on WB-THg, though slightly higher, were comparable to those based on fish and seafood consumption. The results support the use of dietary intake estimates as surrogates for internal blood MeHg levels in Taiwanese children to assess their exposure.
鱼类和海鲜消费是人类接触甲基汞（MeHg）的主要来源。本研究通过毒代动力学模型、危害系数和危害指数（HIs）评估了台湾儿童因食用鱼类和海鲜而接触 MeHg 的潜在健康风险。两项生物监测计划为评估人群中 MeHg 暴露情况的血液样本提供了重要资源。对于内暴露，总汞（THg）作为全血（WB）和红细胞中 MeHg 的生物标志物进行测量，分别采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法和冷原子吸收光谱法。THg 浓度用于估算 MeHg 浓度。使用台湾国家食品消费数据库评估鱼类和海鲜的消费情况，同时从台湾发表的研究中收集可食用鱼类和海鲜中的汞浓度。我们的研究结果表明：1）在 0-3 岁、4-6 岁、7-12 岁和 13-18 岁年龄段的儿童中，摄入海水鱼的 THg（代表估计的 MeHg）日摄入量随年龄的增加而降低：0.03>0.02>0.017>0.007（μg/kg-BW/day）；2）基于 WB-THg 的 HI 大于 1，在 4-6 岁的儿童中发现了 28%；3）基于 WB-THg 的内暴露估计值虽然略高，但与基于鱼类和海鲜消费的估计值相当。这些结果支持使用膳食摄入量估计值作为台湾儿童内血 MeHg 水平的替代物来评估其暴露情况。
