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Reconstruction of methylmercury intakes in indigenous populations from biomarker data

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 16, pages 19–29 (2006)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 15 July 2006

Abstract

Significant amounts of methylmercury (MeHg) can bioaccumulate in fish and sea mammals. To monitor MeHg exposure in individuals, organic and inorganic mercury are often measured in blood samples or in hair strands, the latter being by far the best integrator of past exposure. With knowledge of the MeHg kinetics in humans, the levels of both biomarkers can be related to MeHg body burden and intakes. In the present study, we use the toxicokinetic model of Carrier et al. (2001) describing the distribution and excretion of MeHg in humans, to reconstruct the history of MeHg intakes of indigenous women of the Inuvik region in Canada starting from total mercury concentrations in hair segments. From these reconstructed MeHg intakes, the corresponding simulated mercury blood concentrations are found to be good predictors of the concentrations actually measured in blood samples. An important conclusion of this study is that, for almost all subjects, the reconstructed history of their MeHg intakes provides much lower intake values than intakes estimated from questionnaires on food consumption and estimated MeHg levels in these foods; the mean value of the reconstructed MeHg intakes is 0.03 μg/kg/day compared with the mean value of 0.20 μg/kg/day obtained from questionnaires. The model was also used to back-calculate the MeHg intakes from concentrations in hair strands collected from aboriginals of the Amazon region in Brazil, a population significantly more exposed than the population of the Inuvik region.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Northern Contaminants Program of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en Santé et Sécurité du Travail (IRSST) for providing financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chaire en analyse des risques toxicologiques pour la santé humaine and Département de santé environnementale et santé au travail, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, PO Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, H3C 3J7, Quebec, Canada

    Nathalie H Gosselin, Gaétan Carrier & Michèle Bouchard

  2. Département de Mathématiques et de Statistique and Centre de Recherches Mathématiques, Faculté des arts et des sciences, Université de Montréal, PO Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, H3C 3J7, Quebec, Canada

    Robert C Brunet

  3. Chemical Health Hazard Assessment Division, Health Canada, Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Sir F. Banting Bldg, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, K1A 0L2, Ontario, Canada

    Mark Feeley

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  1. Nathalie H Gosselin
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  2. Robert C Brunet
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  3. Gaétan Carrier
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  4. Michèle Bouchard
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  5. Mark Feeley
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Correspondence to Gaétan Carrier.

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Gosselin, N., Brunet, R., Carrier, G. et al. Reconstruction of methylmercury intakes in indigenous populations from biomarker data. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 16, 19–29 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500433

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