To understand the current Japanese hair mercury levels, we planned a survey of hair mercury among the general populations of different regions in Japan. The present paper, as the first report of the survey, summarized the results obtained in five districts, Minamata, Kumamoto, Tottori, Wakayama and Chiba. Hair samples were collected at beauty salons, barbershops and primary schools in each district with questionnaires on age, sex, amount and species of fish usually consumed, hair-dyed and artificial hair waving "permanent wave." The total mercury levels of 3686 hair samples collected were analyzed by an oxygen combustion-gold amalgamation method. The geometric mean of the total mercury concentration was significantly higher in males than in females, i.e., 2.55 microg/g and 1.43 microg/g, respectively. The sex difference was also observed on hair samples without artificial waving, i.e., 2.64 microg/g and 1.64 microg/g, respectively. The geometric mean in each district varied from 2.23 to 4.79 microg/g for males and from 1.23 to 2.50 microg/g for females. The average hair mercury levels were highest in Chiba among the five districts both in males and females. A multiple regression analysis revealed a significant correlation of the mercury level with age, sex, amount of daily fish consumption, tuna and bonito as usually consumed fish, artificial waving and Chiba as a residential area. In the laboratory experiment, we found that the treatment of hair samples with a lotion for artificial waving caused a 30%-reduction in the mercury content. Furthermore, longitudinal hair analysis showed a marked difference in the concentration between the hair root and the tip of the hair taken from artificially waved females; higher values were observed at the hair root. These results suggested that artificial waving significantly removes hair mercury and that hair analysis at the hair root should be necessary to estimate an accurate methylmercury exposure for waved persons.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1620/tjem.199.161 | DOI Listing |
Arch Toxicol
January 2025
Chemical and Environmental Toxicology Program, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
Hypertension or high blood pressure (BP) is a prevalent and manageable chronic condition which is a significant contributor to the total global disease burden. Environmental chemicals, including mercury (Hg), may contribute to hypertension onset and development. Hg is a global health concern, listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a top ten chemical of public health concern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
December 2024
Department of Biology, Cherepovets State University, Cherepovets, Russia.
The mercury content in the hair of residents in the industrial city of Cherepovets (0.297 mg/kg) is three times lower than that of residents in the specially protected natural area of Kirillovsky district (0.877 mg/kg), which is approximately 110 km away from Cherepovets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Trace Elem Res
November 2024
Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China.
Environ Res
January 2025
Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden; Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address:
Dietary risk assessment of food contaminants requires a well-established understanding of the exposure in a heterogeneous population. There are many methods for estimating human exposure to food contaminants, such as intake calculations and internal biomarkers of exposure measured in individuals. However, those methods are expensive, partly invasive, and often provide a momentary exposure snapshot.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Geochem Health
November 2024
Environmental Science and Technology Laboratory, Centre for Research in Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change, Directorate of Research, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India.
This research is on lactating mothers in the city of Chah Bahar in Iran. This descriptive-analytical and questionnaire study selected a random sample of 80 mothers to examine mercury levels in their hair, milk, and saliva. The average concentration of mercury in milk, hair and saliva of mothers was 1.
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