University of British Columbia Public Health and Preventive Medicine Residency, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Can J Public Health. 2021 Apr;112(2):342-348. doi: 10.17269/s41997-020-00340-3. Epub 2020 Aug 11.
The objective of this study was to describe who in British Columbia (BC) is tested for blood mercury, the distribution of their results, and the adequacy of follow-up testing.
The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) obtained records of clinician-ordered analyses of blood mercury conducted by BC laboratories during 2009 and 2010. We conducted a descriptive analysis with statistical testing of who was tested, the distribution of their blood mercury concentrations, whose results exceeded Health Canada's proposed guidance values (8 μg/L (40 nmol/L) for children/adolescents ≤ 18 years and women 19-49 years, and 20 μg/L (100 nmol/L) for other adults), and patterns of repeat testing.
Mercury test results for 6487 individuals were reviewed. Adults ≥ 50 years had the highest testing rates. The median blood mercury concentration for all tested persons was 1.8 μg/L. Nine percent of women aged 19-49 years had results exceeding Health Canada's provisional guidance value of 8 μg/L. Data from one of BC's two biomarker laboratories indicated that some residents of Vancouver and nearby suburbs have higher exposure to mercury than other BC residents. Of 127 individuals who had results in 2009 exceeding provisional guidance values, only 45% were tested again within 12 months.
Collating and analyzing all clinical biomarker testing such as blood mercury at a provincial population level allows for assessment of the adequacy and appropriateness of follow-up testing and suggests which regional and demographic strata are at higher levels of exposure.
本研究旨在描述不列颠哥伦比亚省（BC）哪些人接受了血汞检测，他们的检测结果分布情况，以及是否进行了充分的后续检测。
BC 疾病控制中心（BCCDC）获取了 2009 年和 2010 年 BC 实验室进行的临床医生开具的血汞分析记录。我们对接受检测的人群、他们的血汞浓度分布、其结果超过加拿大卫生部建议指导值（8μg/L（40nmol/L），适用于 18 岁以下儿童/青少年和 19-49 岁女性，以及 20μg/L（100nmol/L），适用于其他成年人）的情况，以及重复检测的模式进行了描述性分析和统计检验。
共审查了 6487 个人的汞检测结果。50 岁以上的成年人检测率最高。所有受检者的血汞中位数为 1.8μg/L。19-49 岁的女性中有 9%的结果超过加拿大卫生部暂定指导值 8μg/L。来自 BC 两个生物标志物实验室之一的数据表明，温哥华及其附近郊区的一些居民的汞暴露水平高于 BC 其他地区的居民。在 2009 年检测结果超过暂定指导值的 127 人中，只有 45%在 12 个月内再次接受了检测。
在省级人群水平上收集和分析所有临床生物标志物检测，如血汞检测，可以评估后续检测的充分性和适当性，并提示哪些地区和人口阶层的暴露水平更高。
