An archeological perspective on methylmercury exposure

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:230869

Egeland, G; Ponce, R; Middaugh, J ^[1]

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1. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Anchorage, AK (United States). Section of Epidemiology

Hair analyses of remains identified in Arctic archeological sites show that some individuals living in pre-industrial times would fall near or above current acceptable levels of MeHg exposure. For example, total mercury in hair was 4.8 ppm in the mummy of a 25 year-old found in Barrow, Alaska; in Greenland, the mean total hair Hg level of 15th century mummies was 3.1 ppm among six adults and 10 ppm among 2 children. In contrast, FDA`s recommended limit for MeHg in blood would translate to hair MeHg levels of 5 ppm. What are the methodological issues pertinent in interpreting these data and what are the implications of these data for current-day risk assessment and risk management related to the consumption of subsistence foods in the Arctic? How can archeological data help answer questions of relevance for subsistence populations of today? A program to examine pre-industrial MeHg levels in Alaska using human hair and animal fur from existing archeological collections has been initiated. Methodological issues will be discussed.

• OSTI ID: 230869
• Report Number(s): CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ALASKA
ANIMALS
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS
ARCTIC REGIONS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
FOOD CHAINS
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
METHYLMERCURY
POLLUTION