An increase in enviromental pollution may lead to mercury toxicity of fish origin due to the accumulative nature of methylmercury in fish. The main sources of human exposure to organic mercury compounds are contaminated fish and other seafoods. This descriptive study was planned to determine mercury levels in anchovy and in hair samples from individuals with different fish consumption habits, and to evaluate those individuals in terms of toxic effects. For that purpose, we analyzed 100 anchovies from the Black Sea and 100 anchovies from the Sea of Marmara, and assessed 25 wholesale workers in fish markets and 25 cleaning firm employees from both Ankara and Istanbul. Mercury levels in samples were measured using a cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Participants were examined neurologically and mini mental state examination was applied to evaluate their cognitive functions. Mercury levels in fish were found to be below the national and international permitted levels. There was no statistically significant relation between mercury levels and the sea from which fish were caught. Hair mercury levels for all participants were within permitted ranges. However, hair mercury levels in both cities increased significantly with amount and frequency of fish consumption. A significant correlation was determined at correlation analysis between levels of fish consumption and hair mercury levels in the fishmongers and in the entire group (r = 0.32, p = 0.025; r = 0.23, p = 0.023, respectively). Neurological examination results were normal, except for a decrease in deep tendon reflexes in some participants in both cities. There was no correlation between Standardized Mini Mental State Examination results and hair mercury levels. We conclude that establishing a monitoring system for mercury levels in fish and humans will be useful in terms of evaluating potential neurotoxic effects.
Al-MajedNBPrestonMR (2000) Factors influencing the total mercury and methyl mercury in the hair of the fishermen of Kuwait. Environmental Pollution109: 239–250.
2.
Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Wholesale Food Market Branch Directorate Chief Fisheries Office Records (2003) (Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyesi Toptancı Hal Şube Müdürlüğü Balık Şefliği Kayıtları, 2003, in Turkish).
3.
AtayeterS (1996) Determination of water and sediment in the locality of Karacaali in the Gulf of Gemlik together with Pb, Cu, Cd and Hg levels in Various Fish Species. Doctoral Thesis, Ankara University Institute of Science, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ankara (Gemlik Körfezi Karacaali Yöresi Su, Sediment ve Bazı Balık Türlerinde Pb, Cu, Cd ve Hg Düzeylerinin Belirlenmesi. Doktora Tezi, Ankara Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Su Ürünleri Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, in Turkish).
4.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (2001) Hair Analysis Panel Discussion: Exploring The State Of The Science, Summary Report. Georgia: ATSDR Division of Health Assessment and Consultation Atlanta.
5.
AugerNKofmanOKosatskyT. (2005) Low-level methylmercury exposure as a risk factor for neurologic abnormalities in adults. NeuroToxicology26(2): 149–157.
6.
BarbieriFLCournilAGardonJ (2009) Mercury exposure in a high fish eating Bolivian Amazonian population with intense small-scale gold-mining activities. International Journal of Environmental Health Research19(4): 267–277.
7.
BjörnbergKAVahterMGraweKP. (2005) Methyl mercury exposure in Swedish women with high fish consumption. Science of the Total Environment341: 45–52.
8.
BrodzkaRTrzcinka-OchockaM (2009) Mercury in hair—an indicator of environmental exposure. Medycyna Pracy60(4): 303–314.
9.
CartaPFloreCAlinoviR. (2003) Sub-clinical neurobehavioral abnormalities associated with low level of mercury exposure through fish consumption. NeuroToxicology24: 617–623.
10.
Chamber of Maritime Trade (2005) 2004 Maritime Sector Report, Chamber of Maritime Trade Publication No: 66, Istanbul (2004 Deniz Sektörü Raporu, Deniz Ticaret Odası Yayın No: 66, İstanbul, in Turkish).
11.
ChengJGaoLZhaoW. (2009) Mercury levels in fisherman and their household members in Zhoushan, China: impact of public health. Science of the Total Environment407(8): 2625–2630.
12.
ChienLCGaoCSLinHH (2010) Hair mercury concentration and fish consumption: risk and perceptions of risk among women of childbearing age. Environmental Research110(1): 123–129.
13.
DakeishiMNakaiKSakamotoM (2005) Effects of hair treatment on hair mercury—the best biomarker of methylmercury exposure?Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine10: 208–212.
14.
DiezSMontuoriPPaganoA. (2008) Hair mercury levels in an urban population from southern Italy: fish consumption as a determinant of exposure. Environment International34(2): 162–167.
15.
DoğanN (1997) Determination of levels of mercury in fish in Mersin and in the hair of humans living in the region. Postgraduate Thesis, Mersin University Faculty of Science, Department of Environmental Engineering, Mersin (Mersin’de Balıkta ve Bölgede Yaşayan İnsanların Saçında Cıva Düzeyinin Saptanması. Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Mersin Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Çevre Mühendisliği Anabilim Dalı, Mersin, in Turkish).
16.
DolbecJMerglerDSousa PassosCJ. (2000) Methylmercury exposure affects motor performance of a riverine population of the Tapajos River, Brazilian Amazon. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health73(3): 195–203.
17.
EislerR (2006) Case Histories: Mercury Poisoning in Japan and Other Locations, Mercury Hazards to Living Organisms. Florida, USA: CRC Press.
18.
ElhamriHIdrissiLCoqueryM. (2007) Hair mercury levels in relation to fish consumption in a community of the Moroccan Mediterranean Coast. Food Additives and Contaminants24(11): 1236–1246.
19.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2001) Mercury Update: Impact on Fish Advisories, EPA Fact Sheet. Available at: www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/mercupd.pdf (accessed 11 June 2013).
20.
ErtanTEkerEGüngenC. (1999) The Standardized Mini Mental State Examination for Illiterate Turkish Elderly Population. 2nd International Symposium on Neuropsychological Assessment of Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Bursa, Turkey.
21.
EvansMSLockhartWDoetzelL. (2005) Elevated mercury concentrations in fish in Lakes in the Mackenzie River Basin: The Role of physical, chemical, and biological factors. Science of the Total Environment351–352: 479–500.
22.
FariasaRAHaconbSCamposcRC. (2005) Mercury contamination in farmed fish setup on former garimpo mining areas in the Northern Mato Grosso State, Amazonian Region, Brazil. Science of the Total Environment348: 128–130.
FreireCRamosRLopez-EspinosaMJ. (2010) Hair mercury levels, fish consumption, and cognitive development in preschool children from Granada, Spain, Environmental Research110(1): 96–104.
25.
FreryNBrachetRMMaillotE. (2001) Gold-mining activities and mercury contamination of native Amerindian communities in French Guiana: key role of fish in dietary uptake. Environmental Health Perspectives109(5): 449–456.
26.
GibsonGG (1992) Detoxication mechanisms and the role of nutrition. In: TarcherAB (ed) Principles and Practice of Environmental Medicine. New York, NY: Plenum Medical Book Company, p. 148.
27.
GochfeldM (2008) Principles of toxicology, mercury. In: WallaceRB (ed) Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health and Preventive Medicine. 15th ed. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill, pp. 505–522.
28.
GönenH (1994) Heavy Metal Accumulation in Certain Fish Species on Sale on the Ankara Market. Postgraduate Engineering Thesis, Hacettepe University Faculty of Sciences, Department of Food Engineering, Ankara, Turkey (Ankara Piyasasında Satılan Bazı Balık Türlerindeki Ağır Metal Birikimi. Yüksek Mühendislik Tezi, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Gıda Mühendisliği Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, in Turkish).
29.
GüngenCErtanTEkerE. (2002) The validity and reliability of the standardized mini mental state examination in diagnosing mild dementia in Turkish society. Turkish Psychiatry Journal13(4): 273–281.
30.
HaradaMNakanishiJKonumaS. (1998) The present mercury contents of scalp hair and clinical symptoms in inhabitants of the Minamata Area. Environmental Research77: 160–164.
International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) (1976) Environmental Health Criteria 1, Mercury. Geneva: IPCS, WHO.
33.
International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) (1990) Environmental Health Criteria 101, Methylmercury. Geneva: IPCS, WHO.
34.
IwasakiYSakamotoMNakaiK. (2003) Estimation of daily mercury intake from seafood in Japanese women: akita cross-sectional study. Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine200: 67–73.
35.
JohnsonCSallstenGSchützA. (2004) Hair mercury levels versus freshwater fish consumption in household members of Swedish Angling Societies. Environmental Research96(3): 257–263.
36.
KehrigHAMalmOAkagiH. (1998) Methylmercury in fish and hair samples from the Balbina Reservoir, Brazilian Amazon. Environmental Research77: 84–90.
37.
KeskinYBaşkayaRÖzyaralO (2006) Investigation of heavy metal in fish in the sea of Marmara. II. National Environmental Medicine Congress Book, Ankara: Palme Press, pp. 366–368 (Marmara Denizi’ndeki Balıklarda Ağır Metal Araştırması. II. Ulusal Çevre Hekimliği Kongre Kitabı, Ankara, Palme Yayıncılık, 366–368, in Turkish).
38.
KnobelochLAndersonHAImmP. (2005) Fish consumption, advisory awareness and hair mercury levels among women of childbearing age. Environmental Research97(2): 220–227.
39.
KüçüksezginFKontasAAltayO. (2006) Assessment of marine pollution in Izmir Bay: nutrient, heavy metal and total hydrocarbon concentrations. Environment International32(1): 41–51.
40.
KüçüksezginFUlutarhanEKontasA. (2002) Trace metal concentrations in edible fishes from Izmir Bay, Eastern Aegean Baseline. Marine Pollution Bulletin44: 816–832.
41.
KurzelRB (1992) Disorders of the female reproductive system and developmental disorders. In: TarcherAB (ed) Principles and Practice of Environmental Medicine. New York: Plenum Medical Book Company, p. 420.
42.
LebelJMerglerDFernandoB. (1998) Neurotoxic effects of low-level methylmercury contamination in the Amazonian Basin. Environmental Research79: 20–32.
43.
LegrandMArpPRitchieC. (2005) Mercury exposure in two coastal communities of the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Environmental Research98: 14–21.
44.
LindbergABjörnbergKAVahterM. (2004) Exposure to methylmercury in non-fish-eating people in Sweden. Environmental Research96: 28–33.
45.
McDowellMADillonCFOsterlohJ. (2004) Hair mercury levels in U.S. children and women of childbearing age: Reference Range Data From NHANES 1999–2000. Environmental Health Perspectives112: 1165–1171.
46.
McKeown-EyssenGERuedyJ (1983) Methyl mercury exposure in northern Quebec I. Neurologic findings in adults. American Journal of Epidemiology118: 461–469.
47.
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) (2004) Methylmercury in sport fish: information for fish consumers. Available at: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/pdf/HGfacts.pdf (accessed 19 January 2014).
48.
OliveiraRCDóreaJGBernardiJV. (2010) Fish consumption by traditional subsistence villagers of the Rio Madeira (Amazon): impact on hair mercury. Annals of Human Biology37(5): 629–642.
49.
OsterlohJDTarcherAB (1992) Environmental and biological monitoring. In: TarcherAB (ed) Principles and Practice of Environmental Medicine. New York: Plenum Medical Book Company, pp. 504–506.
50.
PalmerSBakshiKS (1992) Chemical contaminants in food. In: TarcherAB (ed) Principles and Practice of Environmental Medicine. New York: Plenum Medical Book Company, p. 53.
51.
Papu-ZamxakaVMatheeAHarphamT. (2010) Elevated mercury exposure in communities living alongside the Inanda Dam, South Africa. Journal of Environmental Monitoring12(2): 472–477.
52.
PinherioMCNMülerRCSSarkisJE. (2005) Mercury and selenium concentration in hair samples of women in fertile age from Amazon riverside communities. Science of the Total Environment349: 284–288.
53.
Republic of Turkey Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Decree Regarding the Determination of Maximum Levels of Contagious Agents in Articles of the Turkish Food Codex (Decree No: 2002/63), Official Gazette: 23 September 2002 no. 24885. (Gıda Tarım ve Hayvancılık Bakanlığı, Türk Gıda Kodeksi Gıda Maddelerinde Belirli Bulaşanların Maksimum Seviyelerinin Belirlenmesi Hakkında Tebliğ (Tebliğ No: 2002/63), Resmi Gazete: 23 Eylül 2002 tarih ve 24885 sayılı, in Turkish).
54.
RisherJFMurrayHEPrinceGR (2002) Organic mercury compounds: human exposure and its relevance to public health. Toxicology and Industrial Health18(3): 109–160.
55.
SchoemanKTanakaTBendJR. (2010) Hair mercury levels of women of reproductive age in Ontario, Canada: implications to fetal safety and fish consumption. Journal of Pediatrics157(1): 127–131.
56.
StocktonDCSchuppenerB (2005) A Comparison of Closed Vessel Microwave Digestion versus Conventional Digestion Procedures for Determination of Mercury in Fish Tissue by CVAA Spectrometry. Houston: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6 Lab. Available at: www.epa.gov/region6/6lab/mercury.htm (accessed 24 October 2013).
57.
TaylorJR (1992) Disorders of the nervous system. In: TarcherAB (ed) Principles and Practice of Environmental Medicine. New York: Plenum Medical Book Company, pp. 226–234.
58.
Turkish Statistical Institute (2004) Marine Products Statistics 2004. Ankara: Turkish Statistical Institute Press (Su Ürünleri İstatistikleri 2004, TC Başbakanlık Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu, Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu Matbaası, in Turkish).
59.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (2002) Chemicals, mercury assessment report 2002, chapter 5. Global mercury assessment – Impacts of mercury on the environment. Available at: www.chem.unep.ch/mercury/Report/Chapter5.htm (accessed 30 December 2013).
60.
ÜnlüH (1993) Determination of Correlation between Fish Consumption and Methylmercury Accumulating in the Hair. Phd Thesis, Ankara University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Toxicology, Ankara (Balık Tüketimi İle Saçta Biriken Metil Cıva Düzeyi Arasındaki İlişkilerin Saptanması. Doktora Tezi, Ankara Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Farmasötik Toksikoloji Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, in Turkish).
61.
WeilMBresslerJParsonsP. (2005) Blood mercury levels and neurobehavioral function. Journal of the American Medical Association293: 1875–1882.
62.
WilliamsRLCsehL (2007) A review of dioxins/furans and methyl mercury in fish from the Penobscot river, located near Lincoln, Maine. Toxicology and Industrial Health23: 147–153.
63.
YipLDartRCSullivanJB (2001) Mercury. In: SullivanJBKriegerGR (eds) Clinical Environmental Health and Toxic ExposuresPhiladelphia: Lippincott Williams &Wilkins, pp. 867–879.
64.
YokooEMValenteJGGrattanL. (2003) Low level methylmercury exposure affects neuropsychological function in adults. Environmental Health2(1): 8.
