O-168

Abstract

In order to assess mercury (Hg), selenium (Se) and arsenic (As) exposure in the Mediterranean area, total mercury (THg), monomethylmercury (MeHg), Se and As levels were measured in umbilical cord blood and breast milk from Italian (n=900), Slovenian (n=584), Croatian (n=234) and Greek (n=484) women. THg, MeHg, As, and Se levels were also determined in blood samples of the same mothers from Italy and Croatia. In addition, THg and MeHg were determined in the same women's hair from all the countries and As levels were determined in the mothers urine samples from Italy, Croatia and Greece. In addition to recording the consumption of other food items, the frequencies of fish consumption were assessed by detailed food frequency questionnaires, since fish can represents an important source of mercury, selenium and arsenic in humans. The highest levels of THg and As were found in cord blood (Med(THg) =5.8 ng/g ; Med(As) =3.3 ng/g) and breast milk (Med(THg) =0.6 ng/g ; Med(As) =0.8 ng/g) from Greek women, while the highest Se levels were found in cord blood (Med=113 ng/g) and mother’s blood (Med=117 ng/g) from Italy. Significant linear correlations were found between different biomarkers of Hg, As and Se exposure. In addition, significant relations were found between the frequencies of total fish consumption and Hg, As and Se biomarkers of exposure, possibly explaining the correlations between the elements determined in cord blood, mother's blood or breast milk. Moreover, the differences in As and Hg exposure between countries were probably due to different amounts of fish consumption and the consumption of different species of fish of different origin.