The objective of this paper was to document mercury contamination of Amerindian populations living along the Beni River in Bolivia and to examine risk factors related to their lifestyle. A cross-sectional survey was performed among 15 communities on the flood plains of the Beni River at the foothills of the Andes. Hair mercury content (H-Hg) served as a bioindicator of mercury contamination. Me...

in this investigation, the mercury content of different samples of persian gulf shrimp and fish, caspian sea fish and the samples of fish from bandar pahlavi lagoon, zarjoub river near rasht, zayandehroud river near esfahan, and karadj river near tehran were measured by flameless atomic absorption, cold vapor-technique, using standard addition method. the main purpose of this study was to inves...

Mercury contamination threatens many ecosystems worldwide. Methylmercury bioaccumulates at each trophic level, and biomagnifies within individuals over time. Long-lived turtles often occupy high trophic positions and are likely to accumulate mercury in contaminated habitats. Millions of turtles worldwide are sold in Asia for human consumption, and consumers may be at risk if turtles contain hig...

Mercury is a longstanding concern in Maritime Canada due to high levels of contamination in a number of fish and bird species. The recycled component of past releases of anthropogenic mercury may be a significant source of ongoing pollution in many areas. Historical information on mercury releases can be used to quantify past and present anthropogenic contamination. We present an inventory of h...

In the midst of research focusing on the neurodevelopmental effects of mercury vapor in rats, we detected significant levels of mercury (30-60 ng/g) in the blood of nonexposed control subjects. We determined that the dominant form of the mercury was organic and that the standard laboratory chow we used in our vivarium was the source of the contamination. The dietary levels were deemed of potent...

In this method for quantitative determination of mercury in blood, urine, and hair, the specimen is first digested in a mixture of solid potassium permanganate and concentrated sulfuric acid. Excess oxidizing agent is reduced by hydroxylamine hydrochloride. The mercury liberated with stannous chloride is quantified by measuring its absorbance at 254 nm. This method shortens digestion time consi...

This research reports the first data on mercury levels found in Giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) from South America. Mercury concentrations were analyzed from different organs/tissues of two animals found dead floating on the water of the Rio Negro in the Pantanal, Brazil. The mean mercury concentration ranged from 2.94 to 3.68 microg/g in hair, from 1.52 to 4.3 microg/g in liver, and from...

We have developed a new fluorogenic polymer capable of detecting the presence of mercury contamination in fish samples. The modified polymer emits blue light when irradiated with UV light proportional to the quantity of mercury, as MeHg+ or Hg2+, present in fish. The quantitative relation between the concentration of mercury in fish and the increase of fluorescence in the polymer in contact wit...

Methylmercury is a toxic form of mercury which persists in food webs for long periods of time and biomagnifies up successive trophic levels. Shorebirds breeding in the Arctic are exposed to methylmercury, derived from both natural and anthropogenic sources, when they ingest their invertebrate prey. Populations of many shorebird species are believed to be declining and one hypothesis for these d...