| Mercury contamination in turtles and implications for human health. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20556939 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Mercury contamination threatens many ecosystems worldwide. Methylmercury bioaccumulates at each trophic level, and biomagnifies within individuals over time. Long-lived turtles often occupy high trophic positions and are likely to accumulate mercury in contaminated habitats. Millions of turtles worldwide are sold in Asia for human consumption, and consumers may be at risk if turtles contain high levels of mercury. The authors dissected 71 turtles from 14 food trade species and analyzed their tissues (liver, kidneys, muscle, claws, and scutes) for total mercury content. Mercury was generally highest in carnivores, and lowest in herbivores. Liver and scutes had the highest concentrations. The authors compared mercury concentrations with consumption limits developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration to evaluate mercury in fish tissue. Several samples exceeded the recommended 1,900 parts per billion (ppb) consumption threshold, indicating that consumers who eat certain turtle species frequently may be at risk for mercury-related health problems. |
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Authors:
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Aaliyah D Green; Kurt A Buhlmann; Cris Hagen; Christopher Romanek; J Whitfield Gibbons |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of environmental health Volume: 72 ISSN: 0022-0892 ISO Abbreviation: J Environ Health Publication Date: 2010 Jun |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-06-18 Completed Date: 2010-07-22 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0405525 Medline TA: J Environ Health Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 14-22 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy, Augusta, GA 30906, USA. aaliyah.green@gmail.com |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Analysis of Variance Animals Diet / veterinary Environmental Exposure / adverse effects* Environmental Monitoring Food Chain* Food Contamination / analysis* Humans Kidney / chemistry Liver / chemistry Mercury / analysis*, toxicity Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Statistics, Nonparametric Turtles* / classification, metabolism Water Pollution, Chemical / adverse effects* |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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7439-97-6/Mercury |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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