Evaluation of the influencing factors on mercury levels in red blood cells (RBCs) in some residents of Bandar Abbas and Mahshahr cities
Subject Areas : Environmental pollutions (water, soil and air)Narjes Okati 1 , Abbas Esmaili Sari 2
1 - Assistant Professor of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, Zabol, Siatan and Balouchestan, Iran. *(Corresponding Author)
2 - Professor of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran, Iran.
Keywords: Mercury, Red Blood Cells (RBCs), Fish consumption, Mahshahr, Bandar Abbas.,
Abstract :
Background and Objective: Human exposure to mercury compounds has been of great public concern around the world due to mercury's high toxicity. The present study tries to assess the influencing factors on mercury levels in red blood cells (RBCs) and mercury daily intake in some residents of Bandar Abbas and Mahshahr cities.
Material and Methodology: In this cross-sectional and questionnaire study, the total mercury concentrations in RBCs of 53 people living in Bandar Abbas and Mahshahr cities were measured by Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometer model equipped with a Perkins Elmer 4100.
Findings: The mean mercury concentrations in RBCs and whole blood of residents in Bandar Abbas were 17.21 and 7.7 μg/L, and for residents in Mahshahr were 44.41 and 17.217 μg/L, respectively. The means of mercury daily intake of people in Bandar Abbas and Mahshahr were obtained 0.20 and 0.53 µg/kg bw/d, respectively. Mercury daily intake in people who ate fish more than 2 meals per week was significantly higher than the other groups with lower fish consumption. The fish consumption of people, city of residence, fishermen and non-fishermen family had statistically significant effect on mercury in RBCs but the age, gender and number of dental amalgam fillings variables had no statistically significant effect on mercury in RBCs.
Discussion and Conclusion: The Comparison of blood mercury levels and mercury daily intake in subjects with established standards shows that people living in Mahshahr have high mercury exposure. As fish consumption is a major factor effect on mercury daily intake in human body, it is appears to be necessary the mercury risk assessment studies and setting the fish consumption limit for sensitive groups of the population.
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