Gerstenberger S L, Tavris D R, Hansen L K, Pratt-Shelley J, Dellinger J A
Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA.
J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1997;35(4):377-86. doi: 10.3109/15563659709043370.
This paper describes an exposure assessment of an American Indian population using blood and hair samples as indicators of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyl exposure from the consumption of fish taken from the Great Lakes region.
Questionnaires regarding fish consumption were completed by 89 Ojibwa tribal members. Mercury concentrations were determined in human hair and blood samples, and polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations were determined in serum.
Fish were consumed at the highest rates in April, May, June, and July. Lake trout, whitefish, and walleye were the preferred fish consumed by 91.4% of the respondents. Concentrations of blood mercury were all below 55 micrograms/L (ppb), while concentrations of mercury in hair were all less than 3 mg/L (ppm). Hair mercury concentrations were correlated with the previous year's fish consumption (p = .05). Dental amalgams and blood mercury concentrations were also significantly correlated (p < .002). Serum polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations, determined as the sum of 89 congeners, were all below 9.6 ppb total polychlorinated biphenyls. Subject age and total serum polychlorinated biphenyls were correlated (p < .001).
The concentrations of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls in this Ojibwa population were relatively low, but several individuals were identified as having elevated concentrations and additional testing may be warranted. Since the accumulation of contaminants was related to fish consumption and age, a long-term monitoring program that assesses chronic exposure to fish diets would be beneficial.
本文描述了一项对美国印第安人群体的暴露评估，该评估使用血液和头发样本作为食用取自大湖地区鱼类导致汞和多氯联苯暴露的指标。
89名奥吉布瓦部落成员完成了关于鱼类消费的问卷调查。测定了人发和血液样本中的汞浓度，以及血清中的多氯联苯浓度。
4月、5月、6月和7月鱼类消费量最高。91.4%的受访者首选食用湖鳟、白鱼和大眼狮鲈。血液汞浓度均低于55微克/升（ppb），而头发中的汞浓度均低于3毫克/升（ppm）。头发汞浓度与上一年的鱼类消费量相关（p = 0.05）。牙科汞合金与血液汞浓度也显著相关（p < 0.002）。血清多氯联苯浓度（以89种同系物的总和计）均低于9.6 ppb总多氯联苯。受试者年龄与血清总多氯联苯相关（p < 0.001）。
该奥吉布瓦人群体中的汞和多氯联苯浓度相对较低，但有几个人被确定为浓度升高，可能需要进一步检测。由于污染物的积累与鱼类消费和年龄有关，一个评估长期接触鱼类饮食情况的长期监测项目将是有益的。
