Mercury Levels in High-End Consumers of Fish

The Scientific Paper:

Jane M. Hightower and Dan Moore. Environmental Health Perspectives. (EHP) Vol. 111, No. 3, pp. 604 – 608. 2003.

Review This Scientific Paper’s Abstract:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db
=PubMed&list_uids=12676623&dopt=Citation

The Purpose of this Study:
To get an idea of the methylmercury blood levels of some select, private medical practice patients who are middle-to-higher income people living in San Francisco, California in 2000 to 2001.

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

• This peer-reviewed, scientific paper was published in 2003.
• This study involved 720 middle-to-higher income patients of a San Francisco, California private, general internal medicine practice from March 2000 to March 2001.
• Blood samples from123 middle-to-higher income patients were tested for methylmercury.
• The methylmercury blood levels from 89 of these middle-to-higher income patients were statistically analyzed and referenced to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methylmercury reference dose.
• The EPA methylmercury reference dose is used to regulate only sport or recreational fish (those fish that you and/or your neighbor catch) – not the commercial fish most often eaten by these middle-to-higher income people living in and round San Francisco, California in 2000 to 2001.
• The sole source of mercury exposure in these patients is believed to be consuming commercially available fish believed to contain varying amounts of methylmercury that varies with the type of fish.
• This study referenced the methylmercury blood levels from these 89 private, general medicine practice patients against the EPA methylmercury reference dose that is used to regulate methylmercury in only sport and recreational fish (such as those fish that your and/or your neighbor catch). These scientists did not report their results referenced against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) methylmercury action level that is used to regulate methylmercury in commercially fish sold interstate in the United States.
• The middle-to-higher income San Franciscans tested for methylmercury blood in this study related the types and amounts of commercially available seafood they ate.
• Only about every sixth middle-to-higher income San Francisco patient was tested for methylmercury blood levels out of 720 possible.
• Because this study was performed at a private medical practice, the mercury level measurements were completed by a number of different clinical laboratories. Which laboratories were used here was determined primarily by individual patient’s insurance coverage and patient convenience. Twelve blood-drawing stations were used in collecting the blood specimens for testing at seven laboratories. Blood and/or hair were tested for mercury per patient. Cause and effect regarding symptoms are not addressed in this report.
• Many of these middle-to-higher income San Francisco patients are reported to have had methylmercury levels at or above the EPA methylmercury reference dose. Reportedly, none were actively seeking any medical assistance for methylmercury-caused bad effects.
• Swordfish had the highest correlation with methylmercury blood levels and was the only fish reported eaten by these middle-to-higher income San Francisco patients with a significant positive relationship with methylmercury blood levels.
• Mercury bad effects oftentimes present in people as vague clinical signs that some physicians have trouble diagnosing.

A Bottom Line:
People who consume greater amounts of commercially available fish known to have higher methylmercury levels should be aware that they might have excessive amounts of methylmercury accumulated in their bodies – and that excessive amounts of methylmercury are known to be harmful to people.

Find This Scientific Paper for Your Review:
Mercury Levels in High-End Consumers of Fish. Environmental Health Perspectives. (EHP) Vol. 111, No. 3, pp. 604 – 608. 2003.