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.
- MeSH
- biologické markery analýza metabolismus moč MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
- hornictví * MeSH
- izotopy rtuti analýza metabolismus moč MeSH
- látky znečišťující půdu analýza metabolismus moč MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- methylortuťné sloučeniny analýza metabolismus moč MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí MeSH
- pracovní expozice * MeSH
- rtuť analýza metabolismus moč MeSH
- ryby metabolismus MeSH
- vlasy, chlupy chemie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Ghana MeSH
- Indonésie MeSH
