Publications by authors named "Amelia A de Araujo"
Somatosensory Psychophysical Losses in Inhabitants of Riverside Communities of the Tapajós River Basin, Amazon, Brazil: Exposure to Methylmercury Is Possibly Involved.
PLoS One
June 2016
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the somatosensory system of individuals living in methylmercury-exposed communities of the Tapajós river basin in Brazil, comparing their sensory responses to those of the Tocantins river basin residents.
- Researchers evaluated 108 participants aged 13-53 using psychophysical tests that measured tactile sensation, vibration sensation, and two-point discrimination, with mercury levels assessed through hair samples.
- Results indicated significantly higher mercury levels in Tapajós inhabitants, and those exposed to mercury showed reduced tactile sensitivity, shorter vibration sensation durations, and poorer two-point discrimination compared to non-exposed subjects.
Among Amazonian communities, exposure to methylmercury is associated mainly with fish consumption that may affect fetal development in pregnant women. Therefore a temporal assessment was performed to assess the exposure of reproductive aged women to mercury who reside in the riparian communities of São Luís do Tapajós and Barreiras located in the Tapajós basin of the Brazilian Amazon from 1999 to 2012. The total mercury concentration in the 519 hair samples was assessed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study evaluated current levels of mercury exposure and sensory symptoms in adults from three riverine communities in Pará State, Brazil, two of which located in the Tapajós River basin and one in the Tocantins basin. Participants in this study included 78 residents in Barreiras (Tapajós), 30 in São Luiz do Tapajós (Tapajós), and 49 in Furo do Maracujá (Tocantins). Total hair mercury concentrations were quantified by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and neurological evaluation was conducted by routine examination.
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