Mercury in hair for a child
population from Tarragona Province, Spain
ercury concentrations were determined in scalp hair of 233 school children aged 6-16
years. The study was carried out in three communities (Flix,Tarragona and Tortosa) from
Tarragona Province of Spain. The influence of the variables place of residence, age, sex,
fish and seafood consumption, number of dental amalgam fillings, hair color, parents'
occupation, and smoking habits of the household members was also examined. The geometric
mean mercury concentration in hair was 0.77 mcg/g. The place of residence, sex, and the
frequency in consuming fish and seafood were the variables that significantly affected
hair mercury concentrations. Girls had more mercury in their hair than boys, whereas hair
mercury levels were significantly correlated with the frequency in the fish and seafood
consumption, with the levels being more elevated when the fish and seafood consumption was
also higher. Hair mercury concentrations were also affected by the place of residence,
with school children of Flix showing lower mercury concentrations than those found from
Tarragona and Tortosa. The remaining variables had no influence on hair mercury levels.
J Batista, M Schuhmacher, JL Domingo, J Corbelia, The Sci Total Environ 1996;193:142-148.
Copyright © 2003 Anamol Laboratories Ltd.
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