Mercury Levels in Women and Children from Interior Villages in Suriname, South America

Paul E. Ouboter, Gwendolyn Landburg, Gaitrie U. Satnarain, Sheryl Y. Starke, Indra Nanden, Bridget Simon-Friedt, William B. Hawkins, Robert Taylor, Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Emily Harville and Jeffrey K. Wickliffe
Additional contact information
Paul E. Ouboter: National Zoological Collection of Suriname/Environmental Research Center (NZCS/CMO), Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname
Gwendolyn Landburg: National Zoological Collection of Suriname/Environmental Research Center (NZCS/CMO), Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname
Gaitrie U. Satnarain: National Zoological Collection of Suriname/Environmental Research Center (NZCS/CMO), Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname
Sheryl Y. Starke: National Zoological Collection of Suriname/Environmental Research Center (NZCS/CMO), Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname
Indra Nanden: National Zoological Collection of Suriname/Environmental Research Center (NZCS/CMO), Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname
Bridget Simon-Friedt: Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
William B. Hawkins: Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
Robert Taylor: Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Maureen Y. Lichtveld: Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Emily Harville: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Jeffrey K. Wickliffe: Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Natural sources of mercury, historical gold mining, and contemporary artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activities have led to mercury contamination in Suriname. Our primary objective was to evaluate mercury levels in hair of women and children from interior villages in Suriname where mercury levels in fish are elevated. We also estimated blood levels of mercury using an established mathematical conversion to facilitate comparison with other biomonitoring programs in the United States. Estimated levels of mercury in the blood of participants from Suriname were significantly higher than those in women from a heavy marine fish-consuming population in southeast Louisiana and estimates of the US national average. This includes women from Surinamese villages well upstream of ASGM activities. Since residents in these areas rely heavily on local fish, this is likely the source of their exposure to mercury. The levels in hair are similar to those seen in women from longitudinal studies finding neurological impairments in children exposed pre- and postnatally. Additional biomonitoring and neurodevelopmental assessments are warranted in these areas, as well as other areas of the Suriname. Mercury levels in hair (Suriname) and blood (southeast LA USA) were determined using cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CVAAS).

Keywords: mercury; gold-mining; Suriname; biomarkers; fish; hair samples; CVAAS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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