Abstract
The main concern regarding mercury exposure is the adverse health effect on the developing nervous system. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine hair mercury levels and their association with socio-demographic characteristics, complaints about mercury poisoning symptoms and the fish consumption pattern among children in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 215 school children aged 11 years old. Hair was collected from the children and the total mercury was analyzed using oxygen combustion–gold amalgamation atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Anthropometric data, a fish consumption questionnaire and mercury poisoning symptoms were collected during a personal interview. The mean hair mercury level among primary school children was 0.63 ± 0.59 µg/g with the geometric mean of 0.47 µg/g. A total of 14% of respondents had hair mercury levels above 1 µg/g. A multiple binary logistic regression analysis outlined that fish consumption of at least one meal per week increased the likelihood of having a high mercury level (odds ratio (OR) 3.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–10.4). This study confirms the existence of a mercury burden among Malaysian children and the level is high compared to other regional studies. This study provides important baseline data regarding the mercury level among children in Malaysia.
Highlights
Mercury is a global pollutant, which comes from natural and anthropogenic sources
Scientists have come to the conclusion that ingestion of one to two meals a week of fish may increase the mercury burden on the body, which will lead to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) reference dose
This paper aims to explore hair mercury levels and to predict factors associated with high mercury levels among Malaysian children
Summary
Mercury is a global pollutant, which comes from natural and anthropogenic sources. Its presence in the environment poses threats and causes concern to the worldwide community. Environmental mercury exposure among the general population comes mainly from dietary intake, amalgam filling, and household products such as paint and skin lightening cream [2,3,4]. Scientists have come to the conclusion that ingestion of one to two meals a week of fish may increase the mercury burden on the body, which will lead to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) reference dose (0.1 μg/kg per day) being exceeded [4]. The risk of increased mercury levels depends on several criteria, including fish types and their contamination level, as well as frequency of consumption and serving size [5]. With the right number of doses, methylmercury, which has been viewed as a neurotoxicant agent, may have adverse health effects on the fetus and young children
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