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Environmental contaminants as biomarkers of fish intake: a case for hair mercury concentrations

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 65, pages 419–420 (2011)Cite this article

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Turunen et al.'s (2010) proposal to investigate the usefulness of environmental contaminants as biomarkers of fish intake deserves special attention. They presented an interesting paper comparing the ability of blood levels of environmental contaminants and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to function as biomarkers of fish consumption. Having a useful and practical biomarker can make an important contribution to the nutritional role of this unique food group. Turunen et al. (2010) chose contaminants such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls and methylmercury (meHg), which are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, concluding that the measured contaminants, including meHg, are slightly better fish consumption biomarkers than omega-3 PUFAs in the Baltic Sea area.

It is undeniable that studies addressing the correlation of blood levels of contaminants with fish consumption (as measured by food frequency questionnaires) are rare. I would like to emphasize the convenience of another specific tissue, head hair, wherein biomarkers of fish consumption such as meHg can be measured and include several characteristics that are advantageous for both developed and underdeveloped settings. Unlike blood (which needs experienced personnel for proper venipuncture), hair cutting offers no risk and the samples are much more easily collected, handled, stored (without special preservation requirements) or even processed and analyzed (depending on the equipment) by local stakeholders (Peplow and Augustine, 2007). Furthermore, because of the bioaccumulative properties of meHg, integration of hair-Hg levels offers less variability over time than blood markers. Although other types of hair, such as pubic, have been used to measure Hg exposure, because of faster growth, head hair is preferred and can offer retrospective information (Barbosa et al., 1998). Compared with blood mercury, the concentration of mercury levels in the hair is 292 times higher (Kershaw et al., 1980). It is worth noting that while it may not be ethically acceptable to draw blood to measure a biomarker of fish intake in children, hair-Hg testing is not invasive and has been used to evaluate the role of fish intake in growth and development of Amazonian children (Dórea et al., 2005; Fonseca et al., 2008; Marques et al., 2008; Oliveira et al., 2010). In this context, other non-invasive keratinous tissues such as nails have also been used (Adimado and Baah, 2002). The sulfur-keratin proteins of keratinocytes in tissues have an affinity for organic-Hg during the growing phase of tissues. However, we still need to understand the differences between Hg-uptake in hair and nails. In the case of hair, melanin (its natural pigment) can also accumulate metals such as mercury (Al-Saleh et al., 2004).

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  1. Department of Nutrition, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil

    J G Dórea

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Dórea, J. Environmental contaminants as biomarkers of fish intake: a case for hair mercury concentrations. Eur J Clin Nutr 65, 419–420 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.177

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