Artigo

Avaliação da contaminação mercurial mediante análise do teor de Hg total em amostras de cabelo em comunidades ribeirinhas do Tapajós, Pará, Brasil

This study evaluates human exposure to methylmercury in fishermen and their families in four villages on the Tapajós river: Rainha, Barreiras, São Luís do Tapajós and Paraná-Mirim. Hair analyses were performed with atomic absorption spectophotometry. Total hair mercury levels varied between 2.9mg/g...

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Autor principal: PINHEIRO, Maria da Conceição Nascimento
Outros Autores: GUIMARÃES, Geraldo de Assis, NAKANISHI, Junko, OIKAWA, Teiichi, VIEIRA, José Luiz Fernandes, QUARESMA, Manoel, CARDOSO, Bernardo da Silva, AMORAS, Walter Wanderley
Grau: Artigo
Idioma: por
Publicado em: 2011
Assuntos:
Acesso em linha: http://www.repositorio.ufpa.br:8080/jspui/handle/2011/2430
Resumo:
This study evaluates human exposure to methylmercury in fishermen and their families in four villages on the Tapajós river: Rainha, Barreiras, São Luís do Tapajós and Paraná-Mirim. Hair analyses were performed with atomic absorption spectophotometry. Total hair mercury levels varied between 2.9mg/g and 71.5mg/g. Paraná-Mirim showed the lowest level. The highest level was found in São Luís do Tapajós and Barreiras. The hair mercury was six to seven times higher than the established safe limit of 10mg/g. No statistically significant difference was found between the mean level of total mercury taken from the inhabitants living downstream and upstream in Itaituba village (p > 0.05). These results confirm that human exposure to methylmercury is occurring on the Tapajós river and suggest that continued fish ingestion in that region is a potential risk factor for the appearance of symptoms and signs of Minamata disease. An immediate epidemiological survey program is recommended.