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Methylmercury exposure and health effects in humans: a worldwide concern.

  • Donna Mergler
    ,
  • Henry A. Anderson
    ,
  • Laurie Hing Man Chan
    ,
  • Kathryn R. Mahaffey
    ,
  • Michael Murray
    ,
  • Mineshi Sakamoto
Scholary Output:
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
Chapter

Open access

Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well
  • SDG 14 - Life Below Water
    SDG 14 Life Below Water

Abstract

The paper builds on existing literature, highlighting current understanding and identifying unresolved issues about MeHg exposure, health effects, and risk assessment, and concludes with a consensus statement. Methylmercury is a potent toxin, bioaccumulated and concentrated through the aquatic food chain, placing at risk people, throughout the globe and across the socioeconomic spectrum, who consume predatory fish or for whom fish is a dietary mainstay. Methylmercury developmental neurotoxicity has constituted the basis for risk assessments and public health policies. Despite gaps in our knowledge on new bioindicators of exposure, factors that influence MeHg uptake and toxicity, toxicokinetics, neurologic and cardiovascular effects in adult populations, and the nutritional benefits and risks from the large number of marine and freshwater fish and fish-eating species, the panel concluded that to preserve human health, all efforts need to be made to reduce and eliminate sources of exposure.

Publication Information

Output type

Scholary Output:
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
Chapter

Original language

English (US)

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 3-11 (9 pages)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 2007

Publication status

Published - 2007

Publication series

  • Publication series name: Ambio
    Volume: 36

ISBN (Print)

00447447

Publication IDs

  • PubMed: 17408186
  • Scopus: 34247123793

Host publication title

Ambio

Access to documents

Publication metrics

Metrics

Scopus
citations
1070, opens in new tab
SciVal
citations
818
SciVal
FWCI
56.95
SciVal
Author count
7
SciVal
Paper percentile
99
SciVal
Top percentile
1
Fractional count
1
Fractional count
0.14
Fractional count
6
Fractional count
0.86
Fractional count
1
Fractional count
1

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