MERCURY LEVELS IN THE HAIR OF PREGNANT-WOMEN IN A POLLUTED AREA IN SWEDEN

Total mercury concentration in hair, sampled at delivery, was determin ed in women living in an area polluted with atmospheric emissions of m ercury from a metal smelter, (n = 122) and in a control area (n = 75). Information on fish consumption was obtained at the 10th week of preg nancy. The average mercury concentration in hair was 0.27 mg/kg (range 0.07-0.96 mg/kg), which is somewhat lower than previously reported fo r pregnant women in Sweden and very low compared with levels in fish-e ating populations in other parts of the world. Women living in the pol luted area had significantly lower mercury levels in hair than women i n the control area when comparing groups with quantitatively similar c onsumption of freshwater fish. Possibly, the population in the smelter area does not catch fish in the neighbourhood and/or the fish in the control area has elevated mercury levels. Consumption of freshwater fi sh greater-than-or-equal-to once a week resulted in approximately twic e as high hair mercury levels as in those who did not eat freshwater f ish at all. Also consumption of saltwater fish greater-than-or-equal-t o once a week resulted in significantly higher hair mercury levels tha n in those consuming saltwater fish < once a month. Hair levels from t he 10th week of pregnancy were similar to the levels at delivery in wo men with high (greater-than-or-equal-to once a week) consumption of fr eshwater fish but decreased during this period in women who did not ea t freshwater fish at all, which could be explained by decreased exposu re during pregnancy and measurement in recently formed hair.