Effects of Speciation, Cooking and Changes in Bioaccessibility on Methylmercury Exposure Assessment for Contrasting Diets of Fish and Marine Mammals.

Uptake of the neurotoxicant monomethylmercury (MeHg) from fish and marine mammals continues to present a public health concern in Canada and elsewhere. However, fish and marine mammals are key diet items contributing to food security for some Indigenous populations in Canada. Mercury (Hg) exposure is estimated assuming that 100% of Hg is methylated, that 100% will be absorbed by the consumer and that cooking does not affect MeHg concentrations.

Assessment of In Vitro Bioaccessibility and In Vivo Oral Bioavailability as Complementary Tools to Better Understand the Effect of Cooking on Methylmercury, Arsenic, and Selenium in Tuna.

Fish consumption is the main exposure pathway of the neurotoxicant methylmercury (MeHg) in humans. The risk associated with exposure to MeHg may be modified by its interactions with selenium (Se) and arsenic (As). In vitro bioaccessibility studies have demonstrated that cooking the fish muscle decreases MeHg solubility markedly and, as a consequence, its potential absorption by the consumer.

Cooking and co-ingested polyphenols reduce in vitro methylmercury bioaccessibility from fish and may alter exposure in humans.

Fish consumption is a major pathway for mercury exposure in humans. Current guidelines and risk assessments assume that 100% of methylmercury (MeHg) in fish is absorbed by the human body after ingestion. However, a growing body of literature suggests that this absorption rate may be overestimated.