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Assessment of mercury exposure among small-scale gold miners using mercury stable isotopes.
- Source :
-
Environmental Research . Feb2015, Vol. 137, p226-234. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- Total mercury (Hg) concentrations in hair and urine are often used as biomarkers of exposure to fish-derived methylmercury (MeHg) and gaseous elemental Hg, respectively. We used Hg stable isotopes to assess the validity of these biomarkers among small-scale gold mining populations in Ghana and Indonesia. Urine from Ghanaian miners displayed similar Δ 199 Hg values to Hg derived from ore deposits (mean urine Δ 199 Hg=0.01‰, n =6). This suggests that urine total Hg concentrations accurately reflect exposure to inorganic Hg among this population. Hair samples from Ghanaian miners displayed low positive Δ 199 Hg values (0.23–0.55‰, n =6) and low percentages of total Hg as MeHg (7.6–29%, n =7). These data suggest that the majority of the Hg in these miners' hair samples is exogenously adsorbed inorganic Hg and not fish-derived MeHg. Hair samples from Indonesian gold miners who eat fish daily displayed a wider range of positive Δ 199 Hg values (0.21–1.32‰, n =5) and percentages of total Hg as MeHg (32–72%, n =4). This suggests that total Hg in the hair samples from Indonesian gold miners is likely a mixture of ingested fish MeHg and exogenously adsorbed inorganic Hg. Based on data from both populations, we suggest that total Hg concentrations in hair samples from small-scale gold miners likely overestimate exposure to MeHg from fish consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00139351
- Volume :
- 137
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Environmental Research
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 101411999
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2014.12.021