Survey of Methylmercury Exposures and Risk Factors Among Indigenous Communities in Guyana, South America.

IF 2.4 Q1 Medicine
Journal of Health and Pollution Pub Date : 2020-05-04 eCollection Date: 2020-06-01 DOI:10.5696/2156-9614-10.26.200604
L Cynthia Watson, Jorge L Hurtado-Gonzales, Christopher J Chin, Juliana Persaud
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引用次数: 6

Abstract

Background: Gold mining activities in forested areas across Guyana have been a common practice for more than a century. The intensification of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in recent decades caused by global market demand is contributing to the mobilization of mercury into aquatic systems. Indigenous populations who consume high levels of locally sourced fish are greater at risk for methylmercury poisoning from ingestion of contaminated fish.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of mercury contamination and identify the risk factors associated with hair mercury levels in four indigenous communities in Guyana.

Methods: Concentrations of total mercury were measured in hair samples from 99 participants from four indigenous communities in the south Rupununi region in Guyana. The findings of this study were compared with those of previous studies to assess the prevalence of mercury contamination in indigenous communities across Guyana.

Results: Hair mercury levels were found to be above the World Health Organization (WHO) reference value for residents who live close to ASGM activities and who consume high quantities of locally sourced fish. Our results are not only consistent with those obtained in previous studies, but also evidence that mercury poisoning has become a generalized problem for indigenous communities in Guyana.

Conclusions: Fish is the main source of protein for many riverine communities and consumption of mercury-contaminated fish poses a serious health hazard for these vulnerable populations. The situation is especially dire for community members of Parabara with 100% of participants showing elevated (>15 μg*g-1) hair mercury levels. It is therefore crucial that Parabara residents be evaluated by relevant health agencies for clinical symptoms related to mercury toxicity.

Participant consent: Obtained.

Ethics approval: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Ministry of Public Health, Guyana.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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南美洲圭亚那土著社区甲基汞接触和危险因素调查。
背景:一个多世纪以来,圭亚那森林地区的金矿开采活动一直是一种常见做法。近几十年来,全球市场需求导致手工和小规模金矿开采(ASGM)的加剧,促使汞进入水生系统。食用大量本地来源鱼类的土著居民因摄入受污染鱼类而发生甲基汞中毒的风险更大。目的:本研究的目的是调查圭亚那四个土著社区的汞污染水平,并确定与头发汞水平相关的危险因素。方法:在圭亚那鲁普努尼南部地区四个土著社区的99名参与者的头发样本中测量了总汞浓度。这项研究的结果与以前评估圭亚那各地土著社区汞污染流行程度的研究结果进行了比较。结果:居住在ASGM活动附近和大量食用当地鱼类的居民的头发汞水平高于世界卫生组织(WHO)的参考值。我们的结果不仅与以前的研究结果一致,而且也证明汞中毒已成为圭亚那土著社区的一个普遍问题。结论:鱼类是许多河流社区的主要蛋白质来源,食用受汞污染的鱼类对这些脆弱人群的健康构成严重危害。对于Parabara的社区成员来说,情况尤其可怕,100%的参与者显示头发汞含量升高(>15 μg*g-1)。因此,有关卫生机构必须对帕拉巴拉居民进行与汞中毒有关的临床症状评估。参与者同意:已获取。伦理批准:研究方案得到圭亚那公共卫生部机构审查委员会的批准。利益竞争:作者声明没有经济利益竞争。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Journal of Health and Pollution
Journal of Health and Pollution Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
自引率
0.00%
发文量
0
审稿时长
18 weeks
期刊介绍: The Journal of Health and Pollution (JH&P) was initiated with funding from the European Union and World Bank and continues to be a Platinum Open Access Journal. There are no publication or viewing charges. That is, there are no charges to readers or authors. Upon peer-review and acceptance, all articles are made available online. The high-ranking editorial board is comprised of active members who participate in JH&P submissions and editorial policies. The Journal of Health and Pollution welcomes manuscripts based on original research as well as findings from re-interpretation and examination of existing data. JH&P focuses on point source pollution, related health impacts, environmental control and remediation technology. JH&P also has an interest in ambient and indoor pollution. Pollutants of particular interest include heavy metals, pesticides, radionuclides, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), air particulates (PM10 and PM2.5), and other severe and persistent toxins. JH&P emphasizes work relating directly to low and middle-income countries, however relevant work relating to high-income countries will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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