HIGH HAIR AND URINARY MERCURY LEVELS OF FISH EATERS IN THE NONPOLLUTED ENVIRONMENT OF PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA

Hair and mercury concentrations of 134 fish-eating subjects in the Lake Murray area and 13 non-fish-eating subjects in the upper-Strickland area, Papua New Guinea, were studied. Hair mercury levels among the subjects in the Lake Murray area (mean = 21.9 mu g/g, range = 3.7-71.9 mu g/g) and urinary mercury levels (mean = 7.6 mu g/g creatinine, range 1.4-25.6 mu g/g creatinine) were markedly higher than levels found in subjects from the upper-Strickland area (mean hair mercury 0.75 mu g/g, mean urinary mercury = 0.48 mu g/g creatinine). Mercury intake of the fish eaters, estimated from mercury concentrations found in fish and from the observed amounts of fish consumed, was approximately 73 mu g/d. Hair and urinary mercury concentrations were correlated significantly (r = .59), indicating that urinary mercury excretion was elevated because fish consumption was very high.