Rice life cycle-based global mercury biotransport and human methylmercury exposure

Maodian Liu, Qianru Zhang, Menghan Cheng, Yipeng He, Long Chen, Haoran Zhang, Hanlin Cao, Huizhong Shen, Wei Zhang, Shu Tao and Xuejun Wang ()
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Maodian Liu: Peking University
Qianru Zhang: Peking University
Menghan Cheng: Peking University
Yipeng He: University of Connecticut
Long Chen: East China Normal University
Haoran Zhang: Peking University
Hanlin Cao: Peking University
Huizhong Shen: Georgia Institute of Technology
Wei Zhang: Renmin University of China
Shu Tao: Peking University
Xuejun Wang: Peking University

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Protecting the environment and enhancing food security are among the world’s greatest challenges. Fish consumption is widely considered to be the single significant dietary source of methylmercury. Nevertheless, by synthesizing data from the past six decades and using a variety of models, we find that rice could be a significant global dietary source of human methylmercury exposure, especially in South and Southeast Asia. In 2013, globalization caused 9.9% of human methylmercury exposure via the international rice trade and significantly aggravated rice-derived exposure in Africa (62%), Central Asia (98%) and Europe (42%). In 2016, 180 metric tons of mercury were generated in rice plants, 14-fold greater than that exported from oceans via global fisheries. We suggest that future research should consider both the joint ingestion of rice with fish and the food trade in methylmercury exposure assessments, and anthropogenic biovectors such as crops should be considered in the global mercury cycle.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13221-2

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