Effect of industrial pollution on seafood content and dietary intake of total and methylmercury.

The total mercury and methylmercury content of seafood was studied in an area of the Adriatic Sea polluted with inorganic mercury from a local industrial plant. The industrial pollution has affected both the total and the methylmercury content of seafood, but only the difference in the total mercury level was statistically significant when compared with a control area with no local industry. Studies of seafood consumption patterns indicate that, when the subjects examined from both areas were matched by their seafood consumption, both total mercury and methylmercury intake was higher in the industrially polluted area. The percentage of subjects ingesting total mercury above the WHO Provisional Weekly Tolerance Intake (PWTI) of 300 micrograms was also higher in the industrially polluted area. However, the percentage of subjects whose methylmercury intake was above the PWTI of 200 micrograms was higher in the control area, primarily due to the increased number of subjects consuming fish more than 5 times a week.