Environmental Contamination by Mercury (Hg Series No.14)

Methylmercury level in the hair of 37 members of fishermen's union the middle Oyabe River area was 6.20±4.73ppm, the highest value being 20.2ppm.The subjects corresponded to those who were eating much river fish every day which contained considerably high level of methylmercury.2. The Tokyo citizen contained 1.86±1.24ppm (n=17) of methylmercury in his hair, while in helicopter pilotes and the group of vegetarians it was 4.11 and 1.73ppm respectively.3. The highest level of methylmercury in marketed marine fish was found in Tuna (Maguro) and Yellowtail (Burl) as around 0.4ppm while coastal and inland sea fish contained a negligible amount of methylmercury regardless of possible industrial contamination.4. Corpses of Tokyo citizens who died suddenly of various causes contained several ppm of methylmercury in the hair while the concentration in organs was far less, namely 0.01ppm in the brain and 0.020.03ppm in the liver and kidney.5. The author considered hair to be one of excretory places for organic mercury, being concentrated from circulating blood into an inert form.