An Exposure Assessment for Methylmercury from Seafood for Consumers in the United States

The Scientific Paper:

C. D. Carrington and M. P. Bolger. Risk Analysis, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp 689-699. 2002.

Review This Scientific Paper’s Abstract:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db
=PubMed&list_uids=12224743&dopt=Abstract

The Purpose of this Study:
These scientists report on an exposure model developed to relate seafood consumption to levels of methylmercury (reported as mercury) in blood and hair in U.S. populations – plus in two U.S. subpopulations: 1) children aged 2-5 years; and 2) women aged 18-45 years.

Some Background, Methods, Results, Caveats, and Other Select Points:

• This peer-reviewed, scientific paper was published in 2002.
• This model tends to underpredict methylmercury blood levels for women and overpredict methylmercury blood and mercury hair levels for children.
• Because the survey estimates are probably more reliable than the prediction(s) resulting from this model, the purpose of this methylmercury exposure assessment is not to produce estimates of mercury levels in human blood and/or hair. Instead, the intent here is to relate those human mercury tissue levels to eating seafood plus the levels of methylmercury in seafood across the United States. This model may then be used to predict how much less seafood people need to eat – or how much lower the methylmercury levels must be in the seafood eaten by people – to expect changes in mercury levels found in people.
• This model should be useful when attempting to analyze the balance of two or more risks, costs, or benefits.

A Bottom Line:
This model gives very similar results as found in the human blood and hair mercury level results for both children and adult women reported in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Find This Scientific Paper for Your Review:
An Exposure Assessment for Methylmercury from Seafood for Consumers in the United States. Risk Analysis, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp 689-699. 2002.