Mercury in raw and cooked shrimp and mussels and dietary Brazilian exposure

Seafood is the main source of dietary mercury (Hg) exposure and it can be affected by species, origin, tissue, processing. The objective this study was to investigate total Hg in shrimp mussels from retail market, compare body tissue distribution cooking time, estimate exposure. A 126 samples (whiteleg Atlantic seabob South American mussel) were analyzed. Total quantified combustion atomic absorption spectrometry with gold amalgamation. Every sample had lower than maximum legislation levels. Higher mean levels found compared shrimp; whiteleg higher (p < 0.05). Mercury muscle exoskeleton. Boiling for up 4 6 min did not affect mussels, respectively. estimated methylmercury (MeHg) intake consumption (0.04–0.09 μg/kg bw 3 portions/week consumption) low, less 6% provisional tolerable weekly – PTWI.