Mercury in Food

Abstract

All foodstuffs contain small amounts of mercury, the level of which depends on the environment and varies from one area to another (Swedish Expert Group, 1971). But food may contain mercury in levels very much higher than the basal levels through contamination. Mercury-containing fungicides are used to treat seeds that can erroneously be used for food, or can be responsible for accumulation of mercury in celestial food chains through seed-eating birds and animals. Even more important is the methylation of inorganic mercury in the sediment in bodies of water, and its accumulation by ascending the food chain until it enters the fish eaten by man. Fish consumption is the main source of human exposure to methyl mercury (MeHg) (World Health Organization, 1976), and is the reason why mercury as an environmental contaminant has become a major concern of modern public health.