Fish Consumption, Fish Lore, and Mercury Pollution—Risk Communication for the Madeira River People

Abstract

Fish is an important food resource in Amazonian aquatic ecosystems. There is a strong cultural background regarding fish consumption (fish lore) among indigenous people in the Amazon. Mercury (Hg) ingestion through fish consumption has been a major route of Hg exposure among the riverside people along the Upper Madeira River. In this paper a diet questionnaire was used to identify patterns of fish consumption. The amount of fish consumed during the dry season and Hg levels in fish were combined to estimate Hg ingestion. Using as guidance hair Hg levels below 5 and 10 ppm as acceptable to protect the fetus and adult, respectively, along with an average daily fish consumption of 243 g per capita, we estimated the maximum acceptable number of fish meals per week for different fish species. Based on this analysis, it is suggested that there is a need to address risk communication for this exposed population in the context of health in terms of a fish advisory. For the fish advisory it is necessary to recommend to fish consumers, fishermen, and fish sellers an acceptable number of fish meals to be consumed according to species.