Table 3.
Comparison of mercury sources for mothers with high hair total mercury (>1.1 μg/g) (n=386 mothers) and low hair total mercury ( ≤ 1.1 μg/g) (n=12 mothers).
| Hair THg ≤ 1.1 μg/g Median or % | Hair THg>1.1 μg/g Median or % | Ratio between high/low hair THg | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice (servings/day) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1 |
| Fish/Shellfish (servings/day) | 0.033 | 0.049 | 1.5 |
| Rice+Fish/Shellfish (servings/day) | 0.99 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| MeHg Intake Through Rice (μg/day) | 0.45 | 0.37 | 0.82 |
| MeHg Intake Through Fish/Shellfish (μg/day) | 0.14 | 0.18 | 1.3 |
| MeHg Intake Through Rice+Fish/Shellfish (μg/day) | 0.79 | 0.74 | 0.94 |
| Mine Near Home | 6.2% | 25% | 4.0 |
| Use of Skin Whiteners During Pregnancya | 5.4% | 0% | 0 |
| Dental Fillingsa | 11% | 8.3% | 0.75 |
| Mothers Who Were Minersa | 1.3% | 0% | 0 |
| Fathers Who Were Minersa | 2.1% | 0% | 0 |
MeHg (methylmercury), THg (total mercury).
a
Missing data for skin whiteners (n=15), dental fillings (n=18), mothers mining (n=16), and fathers mining (n=13); n=398 otherwise.