Mercury in wild animals and fish and health risk for indigenous Amazonians

ABSTRACT

Total mercury (T-Hg) was determined in fish and wild animal meat consumed in indigenous villages in the Brazilian Amazon region, where there is no history of gold mining. The analyses were performed in an atomic absorption spectrophotometer by generation of cold vapour. Regardless of the dietary habit, 42.0% of the fish had levels of T-Hg higher than the values considered as safe for human health by the World Health Organisation. Exposure to mercury in the villages was higher due to the consumption of fish compared to the consumption of meat of wild animals. Carnivorous species showed a higher concentration of T-Hg, both in fish and in wild animals. It is preferred to consume meat from fish and non-predatory wild animals, which can reduce the risk of diseases resulting from high concentrations of mercury in the body of the studied indigenous people.

KEYWORDS:

• Amazon
• toxic metal
• fish
• wild animals
• indigenous
• mercury

Conflicts of interest

Authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this manuscript.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Foundation to Support the Development of Scientific and Technological Actions and Research in the State of Rondônia (FAPERO) and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).