Objective To analyze mercury levels in hair of populations with exposure to typical mercury pollution sources, and to provide reference for health protection for exposed populations.
Methods Hair samples were collected from in dividuals in an electronic waste recycling area in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province (n=64), from individuals in a coal mine area in Tieling, Liaoning Province (n=145), and from medical staff of a hospital in Shanghai (n=62), and urine samples were collected from the same individuals in the coal mine area (n=145). Hair and urine mercury levels were measured by cold vapor atomic adsorption spectrometry. Methyl mercury levels were analyzed using hydrochloric acid-toluene extraction and gas chromatography.
Results In the electronic waste recycling area, the highest total mercury concentration in hair samples was found in acid pickling workers (1.64 μg/g), and the lowest in administrators (0.84 μg/g); the highest hair methyl mercury level was in the samples of local urban residents (1.25 μg/g), and the lowest in acid pickling workers (0.23 μg/g). In the coal mine area, the leading hair and urine mercury le vel in coal miners (0.87 μg/g and 12.13 μg/g), followed by administrators (0.65 μg/g and 2.74 μg/g) and local residents (0.60 μg/g and 2.14 μg/g). In the hospital, the human hair mercury levels in medical staff across departments were all lower than the U.S Environmental Protection Agency safety limits 1.0 μg/g.
Conclusion The workers in the Taizhou electronic waste recycling area and the Tieling coal mine area are at risks of mercury exposure.
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