Issue 9, 2011

Exposure assessment for methyl and total mercury from seafood consumption in Korea, 2005 to 2008

Abstract

Reports on the occurrence and intake assessment of mercury for Korean seafood are currently not available. This is the first report to estimate the intake of methyl (Me-Hg) and total mercury (T-Hg) from seafood consumption in Korea. The concentrations of Me-Hg and T-Hg in seafood ranged from 1.02 to 780 (mean: 55.6) ng g−1 wet weight and 4.89 to 1008 (mean: 100) ng g−1 wet weight, respectively. The residue levels of Me-Hg and T-Hg in Korean seafood were moderate compared with those found in other countries. The methylation ratios of fish, cephalopods and crustaceans were similar, but shellfish had lower values compared with other species. The intakes of Me-Hg and T-Hg from seafood consumption for the general population were estimated to be 38.8 and 73.8 ng kg−1 body weight per day, respectively. Mackerel, tuna and squid made the highest contributions to the total intake of these contaminants. Among eight age groups, 30–49 year and 3–6 year age groups had the highest exposure to Me-Hg and T-Hg. The concentrations and intakes of Me-Hg and T-Hg from Korean seafood were less than the allowable residue levels and threshold intake levels suggested by Korean and international authorities. The present study may be useful for risk management of mercury in Korean seafood.

Graphical abstract: Exposure assessment for methyl and total mercury from seafood consumption in Korea, 2005 to 2008

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Jun 2011
Accepted
21 Jul 2011
First published
16 Aug 2011

J. Environ. Monit., 2011,13, 2400-2405

Exposure assessment for methyl and total mercury from seafood consumption in Korea, 2005 to 2008

H. Moon, S. Kim, H. Park, Y. S. Jung, S. Lee, Y. Kim and M. Choi, J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 2400 DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10504C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements