Calculation of mercury intake from the consumption of wild fish by the population of the Vologda region

Abstract

The mercury content in the muscle tissue of roach and perch from the reservoirs of the Vologda region of the Russian Federation varies from 0,001 to 1,57 mg/kg of raw mass. Using the recommendations of the FAO/WHO, the safe amount of local fish in the diet of the population of the Vologda region is calculated: for adults — 309–1989 kg/week, depending on the type; for children — 83–525 g per week, depending on the type of fish and the age of the child. Using the recommendations of the US EPA, the safe amount of local fish in the diet of the population of the Vologda region is calculated: for adults— 182–350 kg/week, depending on the type; for children— 42–129 g per week, depending on the type of fish and the age of the child. The number of predatory fish in the diet of the population should be two times less than peaceful fish. It was found that the mercury content exceeds the normative levels in place in the Russian Federation (≥ 0,3 μg/g and ≥ 0,6 μg/g, respectively) in 6 % of the fish from non-predatory species and 8 % from predatory fish species. For children of school and preschool age, the proportion of perch that is recommended to be excluded from consumption is 60 and 51 %, respectively; the share of roach is 32 and 18 %, respectively. For the health of the adult population, it may be unsafe to eat more than 30 % of the studied perch and 4 % of the studied roach. English version of the article is available at URL: https://panor.ru/articles/calculation-of-mercury-intake-from-the-consumption-of-wild-fish-by-the-population-of-the-vologda-region/80552.html