Abstract
We measured hair mercury concentration in Amerindians between 2004 and 2009 in Upper Maroni, French Guiana. Hair samples were collected from 387 residents (males: 153, females: 234). Average hair mercury concentration was high (males: 9.4 ppm, females: 9.9 ppm). We examined fish consumption by 37 residents. There was a significant correlation between hair mercury concentration and fish consumption. We also measured mercury concentration in polluted fish in upper reaches of the Maroni River. Muscle mercury concentrations were high in the fish. These results indicate that current high hair mercury concentrations in Amerindians remain linked to fish consumption.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akagi H, Nishimura H (1991) Speciation of mercury in the environment. In: Suzuki T, Imura N, Clarkson TW (eds) Advances in mercury toxicology. Plenum Press, NY, pp 53–76
Akagi H, Malm O, Branches FJP, Kinjo Y, Kashima Y, Guimaraes JRD (1995) Human exposure to mercury due to gold mining in the Tapajos River basin, Amazon, Brazil: speciation of mercury in human hair, blood and urine. Water Air Soil Pollut 80(1–4):85–94
Berzas Nevado JJ, Rodríguez Martín-Doimeadios RC, Guzmán Bernardo FJ, Jiménez Moreno M, Herculano AM, do Nascimento JL, Crespo-López ME (2010) Mercury in the Tapajós River basin, Brazilian Amazon: a review. Environ Int 36(6):593–608
Chevrier C, Sullivan K, White RF, Comtois C, Cordier S, Grandjean P (2009) Qualitative assessment of visuospatial errors in mercury-exposed Amazonian children. Neurotoxicology 30(1):37–46
Cordier S, Grasmick C, Paquier-Passelaigue M, Mandereau L, Weber JP, Jouan M (1998) Mercury exposure in French Guiana: levels and determinants. Arch Environ Health 53(4):299–303
Cordier S, Garel M, Mandereau L, Morcel H, Doineau P, Gosme-Seguret S, Josse D, White R, Amiel-Tison C (2002) Neurodevelopmental investigations among methylmercury-exposed children in French Guinea. Environ Res 89(1):1–11
Drasch G, Böse-O’Reilly S, Beinhoff C, Roider G, Maydl S (2001) The Mt. Diwata study on the Philippines 1999—assessing mercury intoxication of the population by small scale gold mining. Sci Total Environ 267(1–3):151–168
Durrieu G, Maury-Brachet R, Boudou A (2005) Goldmining and mercury contamination of the piscivorous fish Hoplias aimara in French Guiana (Amazon basin). Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 60(3):315–323
Fréry N, Maury-Brachet R, Maillot E, Deheeger M, de Mérina B, Boudou A (2001) Gold-mining activities and mercury contamination of native Amerindian communities in French Guiana: key role of fish in daily uptake. Environ Health Perspect 109(5):449–456
Legrand M, Lam R, Passos CJ, Mergler D, Salin ED, Chan HM (2007) Analysis of mercury in sequential micrometer segments of single hair strands of fish-eaters. Environ Sci Technol 41(2):593–598
Malm O, Branches FJ, Akagi H, Castro MB, Pfeiffer WC, Harada M, Bastos WR, Kato H (1995) Mercury and methylmercury in fish and human hair from the Tapajos river basin, Brazil. Sci Total Environ 175(2):141–150
Malm O, Guimaraes JRD, Castro MB, Basto WR, Viana JP, Branche FJP, Silveira EG, Pfeiffer WC (1997) Follow-up of mercury levels in fish, human hair and urine in the Madeira and Tapajos basins, Amazon, Brazil. Water Air Soil Pollut 97(1–2):45–51
Matsuo N, Suzuki T, Akagi H (1989) Mercury concentration in organs of contemporary Japanese. Arch Environ Health 44(5):298–303
Maury-Brachet R, Durrieu G, Dominique Y, Boudou A (2006) Mercury distribution in fish organs and food regimes: Significant relationships from twelve species collected in French Guiana (Amazonian basin). Sci Total Environ 368(1):262–270
Quénel P, Saviuc P, Godard E (2007) Le mercure en Guyane : risques sanitaires et enjeux de santé publique. Bulletin d’Alerte et de Surveillance Antilles Guyane 2007. http://www.invs.sante.fr/publications/basag/Basag2007-7.pdf
Wilhelm M, Müller F, Idel H (1996) Biological monitoring of mercury vapour exposure by scalp hair analysis in comparison to blood and urine. Toxicol Lett 88(1–3):221–226
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Yukari Tomozoe, Noriko Tanaka, Shigemi Onitsuka, Ayumi Onitsuka, Miki Shirasaka, Ryoko Yamaguchi, Kazumi Ichiura, Ikuko Sonoda and Michiaki Kindaichi for their excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by the National institute for Minamata Disease, Japan.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fujimura, M., Matsuyama, A., Harvard, JP. et al. Mercury Contamination in Humans in Upper Maroni, French Guiana Between 2004 and 2009. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 88, 135–139 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-011-0497-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-011-0497-3