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For most people, the main source of mercury exposure is fish consumption. Methylmercury (or organic mercury) is readily absorbed by the
human digestive system. It is then carried through the blood to all organs in the body. The highest concentrations are found in the liver,
kidneys and brain. It takes from 50 to 70 days to eliminate half the methylmercury ingested. During pregnancy, methylmercury present in the
mother's blood passes through the placenta and into the bloodstream of the unborn child.
Health risk
As with any chemical, the health risk of mercury depends on its concentration in the organism. All people have a little mercury in their bodies,
but the concentrations are generally very low and consequently do not pose any health risk. At higher doses, however, the nervous system, in
particular, may be affected by methylmercury.
Most of the studies conducted to date have not reported any health effects associated with methylmercury in individuals who have been
exposed over a long period of time and have hair mercury concentrations of less than 14 ppm. Developmental effects could be observed in
children born to mothers who had more than 14 ppm of mercury in their hair during pregnancy. However, at levels close to this value, the
impact on the child's health appears marginal. In adults, 50 ppm in the hair is the threshold at which symptoms could begin to appear in the
most sensitive individuals. The earliest symptom commonly reported is a sensation of numbness in the fingers and toes.
< 14
15 to 50
No clinical effects
(subclinical effects not confirmed)
50 to 200
200 to 1,000
Increase in frequency of
neurological effects
> 1,000
Number of
participants
Hair mercury
concentration
Average Maximum
(ppm)
(ppm)
Sept-les Innu
83
0.9
4.2
Labrador Innu
162
0.4
8.1
Innus of
Ekuanitshit
36
0.5
2.0
Havre-SaintPierre
94
0.9
4.1
Sept-les
56
0.8
2.6
1,109
0.3
3.7
218
1.6
13.9
Nemaska
97
0.9
8.8
Wemindji
188
1.0
13.8
Eastmain
80
1.6
7.4
Qubec
OujBougoumou
Number of
participants
Hair mercury
concentration
Average Maximum
(ppm)
(ppm)
Lac SaintPierre
130
0.7
5.8
Montral*
58
0.2
4.1
Montral*
40
0.5
4.4
Abitibi
130
0.8
16.1
Matagami
174
2.1
14.6
Baie James
88
3.6
16.4
A safe process
The following table illustrates the process used by public health authorities to establish their
fish consumption recommendations, taking those of the World Health Organization (WHO) as
an example.
Determination of exposure
threshold
1.5 g Hg/kg/d
0.23 g Hg/kg/d
Public health authorities determine an exposure threshold at which the earliest symptoms of
mercury intoxication would begin to appear, based on their analysis of recent
epidemiological studies. In the example chosen, this threshold is 14 ppm, or micrograms
(g) of mercury (Hg) per gram (g) of hair, in the mother's hair.
Next, the daily intake of mercury is calculated; this is the amount the mother must
assimilate on a regular basis to reach the exposure threshold. To reach 14 ppm, the daily
intake is 1.5 g of mercury per kilogram of body weight.
A safety factor is then applied to be absolutely certain to avoid any health risk. The WHO
applied a safety factor of 6.4, which takes into account individual variabilities in the rate of
mercury assimilation and in the efficiency of its transfer from the blood to the hair.
The tolerable daily intake (TDI) for mercury, that is, the daily intake that should not be
exceeded, is then obtained by dividing the daily intake by the safety factor chosen. To
protect the unborn child, the WHO recommends that the mother not exceed a daily intake of
0.23 g of mercury per kilogram of body weight.
The number of fish meals per month that the mother can safely eat is based on the following
criteria:
a body weight of 60 kg
Health Canada
Although its interpretation of the findings of the epidemiological studies differs slightly from
the WHO's, Health Canada obtains essentially the same tolerable daily intakes for mercury
by applying the same process:
For adults
exposure threshold of 50 ppm, at which the earliest symptoms would begin to appear
safety factor of 10
exposure threshold of 10 ppm in the mother's hair, at which the earliest symptoms
would begin to appear in the unborn child
safety factor of 5
Communication tools
A team effort
Because of the potential health risk which the marked but temporary increase in fish mercury levels caused by hydroelectric developments
poses to fish consumers, Hydro-Qubec works together with public health authorities in the regions where its projects are built.
While responsibility for monitoring mercury levels lies with Hydro-Qubec, managing the health of recreational anglers and subsistence
fishermen is the responsibility of Qubec's regional health and social services agencies. As part of this team effort, Hydro-Qubec supplies the
data on fish mercury levels. The company is also involved in producing consumption guides based on the tolerable daily intakes recommended
by the World Health Organization and Health Canada.
0.00 to
0.29
No restriction
0.30 to
0.49
0.50 to
0.99
1.00 to
1.99
2.00 to
3.75
Natural lakes
Lake whitefish
500 mm (20 in.)
Speckled trout
300 mm (12 in.)
Landlocked
salmon
500 mm (20 in.)
Pike
800 mm (32 in.)
Lake trout
600 mm (24 in.)