Mercury concentrations in seafood and the associated risk in women with high fish consumption from coastal villages of Sonora, Mexico

Abstract

Mercury concentrations in the ocean have increased considerably since the industrial revolution and will continue to increase in the next 50 years. Therefore, it is important to monitor Hg levels in fish and to evaluate the health risks in populations with high fish consumption. In the present study, a total of 238 samples of commercial fish and shellfish, were analyzed from the Central Gulf of California, Mexico. Concentrations of total Hg in fish ranged from < DL (detection limit) up to 1.22 μg g-1, with a mean of 0.15 ± 0.19 μg g-1, the majority of the samples were lower than the maximum permissible level. To evaluate the risk, a total of 110 food frequency questionnaires were applied to women (16-68 years old) from 15 coastal fishing villages of Sonora. Results indicated a high seafood consumption at these communities (mean = 307 g day-1), and a high hazard risk (HQ = 6.2) due to methyl mercury ingestion. It is recommended to limit seafood consumption in pregnant women to 4 portions of fish per week, preferably of low mercury concentrations so that all the benefits of seafood consumption are obtained without the negative health effects of methyl mercury.