Exploring mercury and selenium dynamics in Amazonian human populations: Insights from urine, blood, and plasma analyses.

The Amazonian riverside population is one of the most impacted by mercury, interestingly, with distinct selenium values in blood, generally among the highest worldwide. The interaction between Hg and Se remains to be thoroughly investigated and could provide insights into the fate of these elements and the potential for selenium-mediated detoxification. The current study explores the levels of both elements, determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), in blood, plasma, and urine, of 1089 adult individuals from communities of Tapajós and Amazon River.

Blood levels of 21 metals and metalloids in riverside villagers of the Brazilian Amazon: A human biomonitoring study with associations with sociodemographic, dietary, and lifestyle factors.

Human biomonitoring of toxic and essential trace elements is critically important for public health protection. Amazonian riverine communities exhibit distinctive dietary patterns, heavily reliant on locally sourced fish, fruits, and vegetables. These habits may result in unique exposure profiles compared to urban populations.

Hemoglobin as a major binding protein for methylmercury in white-sided dolphin liver.

As methylmercury (MeHg) can be bioaccumulated and biomagnified in the trophic web, its toxicity for marine mammals is of major concern. Mercury speciation in marine biota has been widely studied, mainly focused on the discrimination and quantification of inorganic Hg and MeHg. Less attention has been paid to the interactions of Hg with biomolecules and the characterization of its specific binding, which play a key role in metabolic pathways controlling its uptake, transformation, and toxicity.