[Survey of Total Mercury Content in Fishery Products]. 2022

Aiko Yutani, and Tadashi Nakatani, and Asako Ozaki, and Yukihiko Yamaguchi, and Tetsuo Yamano
Osaka Institute of Public Health.

The total mercury content in 112 fishery products, purchased from Osaka city during 2013-2018, was measured using a heating vaporization mercury analyzer. The average total mercury content in all tuna processed products was found out to be 0.115 μg/g (median=0.070 μg/g). Notably, albacore tuna exhibited the highest mercury content with an average concentration of 0.301 μg/g (median=0.296 μg/g). The total mercury concentration of the fishery products, except processed tuna and Kezuribushi (comprising shavings of dried and smoked mackerel, sardine, as well as horse mackerel), was generally low (<0.1 μg/g).The provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) for mercury as set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives is 4.0 μg/kg body weight/week. On an average, for Japanese diet, the total weekly mercury intake from fishery products for a person weighing 50 kg was estimated to be 0.13 μg/kg body weight/week, which was 3.3% of the PTWI. These values indicate that it was not a problem to consume fishery products normally. However, albacore tuna cans have a relatively high total mercury concentration; thus, pregnant women consuming them daily may exceed the tolerable weekly intake of methylmercury (2 μg/kg body weight/week) as set by the Food Safety Commission of Japan.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008628 Mercury A silver metallic element that exists as a liquid at room temperature. It has the atomic symbol Hg (from hydrargyrum, liquid silver), atomic number 80, and atomic weight 200.59. Mercury is used in many industrial applications and its salts have been employed therapeutically as purgatives, antisyphilitics, disinfectants, and astringents. It can be absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes which leads to MERCURY POISONING. Because of its toxicity, the clinical use of mercury and mercurials is diminishing.
D008767 Methylmercury Compounds Organic compounds in which mercury is attached to a methyl group. Methyl Mercury Compounds,Compounds, Methyl Mercury,Compounds, Methylmercury,Mercury Compounds, Methyl
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D001835 Body Weight The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms. Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D005260 Female Females
D005398 Fisheries Places for cultivation and harvesting of fish, particularly in sea waters. (from McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Fish Farms,Fish Hatcheries,Farm, Fish,Farms, Fish,Fish Farm,Fish Hatchery,Fishery,Hatcheries, Fish,Hatchery, Fish
D005506 Food Contamination The presence in food of harmful, unpalatable, or otherwise objectionable foreign substances, e.g. chemicals, microorganisms or diluents, before, during, or after processing or storage. Food Adulteration,Adulteration, Food,Adulterations, Food,Contamination, Food,Contaminations, Food,Food Adulterations,Food Contaminations
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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