Mercury and monomethylmercury: present and future concerns.
Mercury and monomethylmercury: present and future concerns.
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DOI：
10.1289/ehp.9196159
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发表时间：
1991-12
影响因子：
10.4
通讯作者：
Clarkson TW
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fitzgerald WF;Clarkson TW
全球大气变化有可能破坏汞及其化合物的正常循环。酸雨可能会增加淡水鱼体内的甲基汞含量。全球变暖和紫外线辐射增加可能会影响甲基汞的全球收支，包括其在生物和非生物环境中的形成和降解。在这篇文章中，我们回顾了目前的知识，汞和一甲基汞方面的环境命运和潜在的人类健康影响。最近的研究结果表明，大气中的汞沉积很容易占鱼，水和小石城湖，一个典型的温带渗漏湖中北部的威斯康星州沉积物中的汞的总质量。显而易见，大气中汞含量的适度增加可直接导致鱼类种群中汞含量的升高。鉴于最近许多研究中的实验局限性，人们怀疑汞排放、背景大气汞浓度和汞沉积通量变化的时间模式是否已经确定。因此，现在和未来的问题是，环境影响是否具有地方、区域或半球的重要性。当代研究必须解决这些重要问题。在美国，由于鱼类和鱼类产品消费量的增加，人类接触甲基汞的情况可能正在增加。最近的一项流行病学调查表明，产前接触汞对脑损伤的易感性很高。今后调查的一个重要目标是确定人类接触甲基汞的最低效应水平。
Global atmospheric changes carry the potential to disrupt the normal cycling of mercury and its compounds. Acid rain may increase methylmercury levels in freshwater fish. Global warming and increased ultraviolet radiation may affect the global budget of methylmercury, including its formation and degradation in both biotic and abiotic environments. In this article we review current knowledge on mercury and monomethylmercury with regard to their environmental fate and the potential for human health effects. Recent findings indicate that atmospheric Hg deposition readily accounts for the total mass of Hg in fish, water, and sediment of Little Rock Lake, a representative temperate seepage lake in north-central Wisconsin. It is strikingly evident that modest increases in atmospheric Hg loading could lead directly to elevated levels in the fish stock. It is doubtful, given the experimental limitations in many recent studies, that the temporal pattern for Hg emissions, for background atmospheric Hg concentrations, and for changes in Hg depositional fluxes has been identified. Thus, the present and future questions of whether the environmental impact is of local, regional, or hemispheric significance remain. Contemporary investigations must address these important questions. Human exposure to methylmercury in the United States is probably increasing due to increased consumption of fish and fish products. A recent epidemiological investigation indicates high susceptibility to brain damage during prenatal exposures to Hg. An important objective for future investigation is to establish the lowest effect level for human exposure to methylmercury.