Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309171717
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 364

Book Description
Mercury is widespread in our environment. Methylmercury, one organic form of mercury, can accumulate up the aquatic food chain and lead to high concentrations in predatory fish. When consumed by humans, contaminated fish represent a public health risk. Combustion processes, especially coal-fired power plants, are major sources of mercury contamination in the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering regulating mercury emissions from those plants. Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury reviews the health effects of methylmercury and discusses the estimation of mercury exposure from measured biomarkers, how differences between individuals affect mercury toxicity, and appropriate statistical methods for analysis of the data and thoroughly compares the epidemiological studies available on methylmercury. Included are discussions of current mercury levels on public health and a delineation of the scientific aspects and policy decisions involved in the regulation of mercury. This report is a valuable resource for individuals interested in the public health effects and regulation of mercury. The report also provides an excellent example of the implications of decisions in the risk assessment process for a larger audience.

Mercury Contaminated Sites

Author: Ralf Ebinghaus
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662037548
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 538

Book Description
An up-to-date overview of the characterization, risk assessment and remediation of mercury-contaminated sites. The book summarizes, for the first time, works from Europe, Russia and the American continent, and review chapters are supplemented by detailed, international case studies.

Environmental Medicine

Author: Committee on Curriculum Development in Environmental Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309568722
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 988

Book Description
People are increasingly concerned about potential environmental health hazards and often ask their physicians questions such as: "Is the tap water safe to drink?" "Is it safe to live near power lines?" Unfortunately, physicians often lack the information and training related to environmental health risks needed to answer such questions. This book discusses six competency based learning objectives for all medical school students, discusses the relevance of environmental health to specific courses and clerkships, and demonstrates how to integrate environmental health into the curriculum through published case studies, some of which are included in one of the book's three appendices. Also included is a guide on where to obtain additional information for treatment, referral, and follow-up for diseases with possible environmental and/or occupational origins.

Mercury in the Environment

Author: Michael S. Bank
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520951395
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 361

Book Description
Mercury pollution and contamination are widespread, well documented, and continue to pose a public health concern in both developed and developing countries. In response to a growing need for understanding the cycling of this ubiquitous pollutant, the science of mercury has grown rapidly to include the fields of biogeochemistry, economics, sociology, public health, decision sciences, physics, global change, and mathematics. Only recently have scientists begun to establish a holistic approach to studying mercury pollution that integrates chemistry, biology, and human health sciences. Mercury in the Environment follows the process of mercury cycling through the atmosphere, through terrestrial and aquatic food webs, and through human populations to develop a comprehensive perspective on this important environmental problem. This timely reference also provides recommendations on mercury remediation, risk communication, education, and monitoring.

Mercury as a Global Pollutant

Author: Donald B. Porcella
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9789401040693
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xiv PART I MERCURY AND HUMAN HEALTH B. WHEATLEY and S. PARADIS I Exposure of Canadian Aboriginal Peoples to Methylmercury 3-11 M. GIRARD and C. DUMONT I Exposure of James Bay Cree to Methylmercury during Pregnancy for the Years 1983-91 13-19 M. RICHARDSON, M. MITCHELL, S. COAD and R. RAPHAEL I Exposure to Mercury in Canada: A Multimedia Analysis 21-30 M. RICHARDSON, M. EGYED and D. J. CURRIE I Human Exposure to Mercury may Decrease as Acidic Deposition Increases 31-39 L. E. FLEMING, S. WATKINS, R. KADERMAN, B. LEVIN, D. R. AVYAR, M. BIZZIO, D. STEPHENS and J. A. BEAN I Mercury Exposure in Humans through Food Consumption from the Everglades of Florida 41-48 J. M. GEARHART, H. J. CLEWELL III, K. S. CRUMP, A. M. SHIPP and A. SILVERS I Pharmacokinetic Dose Estimates of Mercury in Children and Dose-Response Curves of Performance Tests in a Large Epidemiological Study 49-58 I. SKARE I Mass Balance and Systemic Uptake of Mercury Released from Dental Amalgam Fillings 59-67 J. DELLINGER, N. KMIECIK, S. GERSTENBERGER and H. NGU I Mercury Contamina tion of Fish in the Ojibwa Diet: I. Walleye Fillets and Skin-On versus Skin-Off Sampling 69-76 J. DELLINGER, L. MALEK and M. BEATTIE I Mercury Contamination of Fish in the Ojibwa Diet: II. Sensory Evoked Responses in Rats Fed Walleye 77-83 H. AKAGI, O. MALM, F. J. P. BRANCHES, Y. KINJO, Y. KASHIMA, J. R. D. GUIMARAES, R. B. OLIVEIRA, K. HARAGUCHI, W. C. PFEIFFER, Y.

Toxic Effects of Mercury

Author: Shabnum Nabi
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 8132219228
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 265

Book Description
Mercury is widespread in our environment. Methylmercury, an organic form of mercury, can accumulate in the aquatic food chain and lead to high concentrations in predatory fish. When consumed by humans, contaminated fish represent a public health risk. Toxic Effects of Mercury intends to facilitate among its readers the understanding of the importance of mercury pollution in the environment and the health consequences associated with exposure to this metal. The knowledge on methylmercury (MeHg) toxicity collected over the years is undoubtedly robust creating an impression all that is to be learnt about this metal has already been accomplished. However, in large measure, past knowledge has merely laid the ground for interesting questions that have yet to be fully addressed and concepts have yet to be deciphered. One of my major goals was to make a valiant attempt to include state-of-the-art information on the mechanisms of mercury toxicity, describing its effects on cultured cellular systems as well as in whole living organisms, starting from the lessons learned from the tragic events in Minamata Bay, Japan. A special focus of the book is on the neurotoxic effects of MeHg. An understanding at the cellular level is necessary to gather information on the structural and functional alterations induced by MeHg and how they possibly become unmasked and evident at the behavioral level, 32 chapters of the book have been organised having these considerations in mind. This book will provide state-of-the-art information to the graduate students training in toxicology, risk assessors, researchers and medical providers at large. It is aimed to bring the readers updated information on contemporary issues associated with exposure to methylmercury, from its effects on stem cells and neurons to population studies. It is a valuable resource for individuals interested in the public health effects and regulation of mercury. The report provides an excellent example of the implications of decisions in the risk assessment process for a larger audience and is written with the hope that the information will provide better understanding of the mercury problems which confront us.

Emergency and Continuous Exposure Limits for Selected Airborne Contaminants

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 9780309077736
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 118

Book Description
This document is one in a series prepared by the Committee that form the basis of the recommendations for EELs and CELs for selected chemicals. Since the Committee began recommending EELs and CELs for its military sponsors (U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force), the scope of its recommendations has been expanded in response to a request by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The CELs, in particular, grew out of a Navy request for exposure limits for atmospheric contaminants in submarines. The EELs and CELs have been used as design criteria by the sponsors in considering the suitability of materials for particular missions (as in a submarine or a spacecraft) and in assessing the habitability of particular enclosed environments. They are recommended for narrowly defined occupational groups and are not intended for application in general industrial settings or as exposure limits for the general public.

Risk State

Author: Sebastian Maslow
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317062779
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 203

Book Description
The increase of new complex security challenges and the heightening significance of a diverse array of actors has simultaneously posed a challenge to traditional perspectives on international relations and foreign policy and created an opportunity for new concepts to be applied. Conventional explanations of Japan’s foreign policy have provided us with theoretically predetermined understandings and fallacious predictions. Reformulating risk in its application to the study of international relations and foreign policy, this volume promises new insights into the analysis of contemporary foreign policy in East Asia and Japan’s post-Cold War international relations in particular.

Methylmercury and Neurotoxicity

Author: Sandra Ceccatelli
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 146142383X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 375

Book Description
Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that knows no environmental boundaries. Even the most stringent control of anthropogenic Hg sources will not eliminate exposure given its ubiquitous presence. Exposure to Hg occurs primarily via the food chain due to MeHg’s accumulation in fish. Latest US statistics indicate that 46 States have fish consumption advisories. In addition, Hg is a common pollutant in hazardous waste sites, with an estimated 3-4 million children living within one mile of at least one of the 1,300+ active hazardous waste sites in the US. The effects on intellectual function in children prenatally exposed to MeHg via maternal fish consumption have been the subject of two on-going major, prospective, longitudinal studies in the Seychelles and the Faroe Islands. It is important to recognize that the risk for MeHg exposure is not limited only to islanders with high fish consumption. This book will provide state-of-the-art information to the graduate student training in toxicology, risk assessors, researchers and medical providers at large. It is aimed to bring the reader up to date on contemporary issues associated with exposure to methylmercury, from its effects on stem cells and neurons to population studies.

Diagnosis

Author: Jane Marie Hightower
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1597264539
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 325

Book Description
One morning in 2000, Dr. Jane Hightower walked into her exam room to find a patient with disturbing symptoms she couldn’t explain. The woman was nauseated, tired, and had difficulty concentrating, but a litany of tests revealed no apparent cause. She was not alone. Dr. Hightower saw numerous patients with similar, inexplicable ailments, and eventually learned that there were many more around the nation and the world. They had little in common—except a healthy appetite for certain fish. Dr. Hightower’s quest for answers led her to mercury, a poison that has been plaguing victims for centuries and is now showing up in seafood. But this “explanation” opened a Pandora’s Box of thornier questions. Why did some fish from supermarkets and restaurants contain such high levels of a powerful poison? Why did the FDA base its recommendations for “safe” mercury consumption on data supplied by Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist extremists? And why wasn’t the government warning its citizens? In Diagnosis: Mercury, Dr. Hightower retraces her investigation into the modern prevalence of mercury poisoning, revealing how political calculations, dubious studies, and industry lobbyists endanger our health. While mercury is a naturally occurring element, she learns there’s much that is unnatural about this poison’s prevalence in our seafood. Mercury is pumped into the air by coal-fired power plants and settles in our rivers and oceans, and has been dumped into our waterways by industry. It accumulates in the fish we eat, and ultimately in our own bodies. Yet government agencies and lawmakers have been slow to regulate pollution or even alert consumers. Why? The trail of evidence leads to Canada, Japan, Iraq, and various U.S. institutions, and as Dr. Hightower puts the pieces together, she discovers questionable connections between ostensibly objective researchers and industries that fear regulation and bad press. Her tenacious inquiry sheds light on a system in which, too often, money trumps good science and responsible government. Exposing a threat that few recognize but that touches many, Diagnosis: Mercury should be required reading for everyone who cares about their health.