Table 1.
H-THg exposure by Individual, Household and Community Characteristics, Madre de Dios, Peru in 2014 (n=723). The lower limit of quantification (LOQ) for H-THg was 0.05 mg/g.
| N (%) | Range (min-max), μg/g | n(%) exceeding 2.2 μg/g H-THg | H-THg Geometric mean (95% CI), μg/g | H-THg Arithmetic mean (95% CI), μg/g | H-THg Median (IQR), μg/g | Kruskal-Wallis H test | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All participants | 723 (100) | <LOQ-16.65 | 37.21 | 1.54 (1.44–1.65) | 2.24 (2.09–2.38) | 1.60 (0.86–2.99) | |
| A. Individual Characteristics | |||||||
| Male | 352 (48.6) | <LOQ-13.22 | 134 (38.07) | 1.54 (1.39–1.71) | 2.29 (2.07–2.51) | 1.60 (0.82–3.25) | p=0.8222 |
| Female | 371 (51.4) | 0.08–16.65 | 135 (36.39) | 1.54 (1.41–1.69) | 2.18 (1.98–2.38) | 1.60 (0.90–2.85) | |
| Age in years | |||||||
| 0–4 | 55 (7.61) | 0.29–6.61 | 11(20.00) | 1.19 (0.99–1.45) | 1.54 (1.21–1.87) | 1.22 (0.66–1.83) | p=0.0001 |
| 5–9 | 95 (13.14) | 0.18–12.94 | 23 (24.21) | 1.25 (1.05–1.48) | 1.80 1.42–2.19) | 1.15 (0.74–2.19) | |
| 10–14 | 63 (8.71) | <LOQ-6.73 | 15 (23.81) | 1.11 (0.82–1.50) | 1.64 (1.30–1.99) | 1.31 (0.69–2.18) | |
| 15–49 | 321 (44.40) | 0.11–13.22 | 138 (42.99) | 1.81 (1.64–1.99) | 2.52 (2.29–2.76) | 1.86 (1.08–3.40) | |
| 50–64 | 112 (15.49) | 0.08–16.65 | 52 (46.43) | 1.75 (1.46–2.10) | 2.58 (2.14–3.02) | 1.82 (1.06–3.44) | |
| 65+ | 77 (10.65) | 0.14–11.26 | 30 (38.96) | 1.35 (1.08–1.69) | 2.05 (1.63–2.47) | 1.56 (0.65–3.06) | |
| Women of Childbearing Age (15–49 years) | 185 (25.59) | 0.11–12.16 | 79 (42.7) | 1.79 (1.58–2.02) | 2.45 (2.17–2.74) | 1.84 (1.10–3.29) | -- |
| B. Household Characteristics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household Economics | Participants n(%) | Households n(%) | N (%) exceeding 2.2 μg/g Hair THg | H-THg Geometric mean (95% CI), μg/g | H-THg Arithmetic mean (95% CI), μg/g | H-THg Median (IQR), μg/g | Kruskal-Wallis H test |
| Household Economic Activity a | |||||||
| Agriculture | 327 (45.23) | 142 (48.14) | 126 (38.53) | 1.48 (1.32–1.65) | 2.20 (1.98–2.42) | 1.60 (0.80–2.96) | p<0.5846 b |
| Mining | 36 (4.98) | 12 (4.07) | 16 (44.44) | 2.03 (1.57–2.65) | 2.64 (2.02–3.27) | 1.95 (1.17–4.12) | p<0.0581 b |
| Fishing | 21 (2.90) | 6 (2.03) | 20 (95.24) | 6.53 (5.06–8.43) | 7.40 (5.88–9.19) | 7.25 (4.81–9.32) | p<0.0001 b |
| Logging | 93 (12.86) | 31 (10.51) | 23 (24.73) | 1.44 (1.24–1.66) | 1.83 (1.54–2.11) | 1.42 (0.98–2.18) | p<0.1864 b |
| Brazil Nuts | 48 (6.64) | 19 (6.44) | 24 (50.00) | 2.05 (1.64–2.58) | 2.65 (2.14–3.16) | 2.22 (1.28–3.92) | p<0.0153 b |
| Other | 347 (47.99) | 131 (44.41) | 116 (33.43) | 1.50 (1.37, 1.64) | 2.12 (1.90–2.33) | 1.52 (0.82–2.73) | p<0.0957 b |
| None | 20 (2.77) | 13 (4.41) | 7 (35.00) | 1.23 (0.71–2.11) | 2.09 (1.17–3.00) | 1.47 (0.55–3.15) | p<0.4544 b |
| Monthly Household Income (Peruvian New Soles) | |||||||
| <600 | 129 (17.92) | 63 (21.43) | 47 (36.43) | 1.36 (1.11–1.67) | 2.14 (1.78–2.50) | 1.54 (0.86–3.04) | p<0.1981 |
| 600–999 | 302 (41.94) | 121 (41.16) | 109 (36.09) | 1.53 (1.39–1.68) | 2.09 (1.90–2.27) | 1.55 (0.90–2.86) | |
| 1000–1999 | 196 (27.22) | 68 (23.13) | 82 (41.84) | 1.76 (1.57–1.98) | 2.42 (2.13–2.72) | 1.83 (1.01–3.27) | |
| 2000+ | 93 (12.92) | 42 (14.29) | 31 (33.33) | 1.47 (1.19–1.83) | 2.50 (1.90–3.09) | 1.52 (0.67–2.73) | |
| Household Dietary Factors | Participants n(%) | Households n(%) | n(%) exceeding 2.2 μg/g H-THg | H-THg Geometric mean (95% CI), μg/g | H-THg Arithmetic mean (95% CI), μg/g | H-THg Median (IQR), μg/g | Kruskal-Wallis H test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Consumption | |||||||
| Never | 6 (0.83) | 2 (0.68) | 5 (83.33) | 2.70 (1.02, 7.15) | 3.38 (1.70–5.07) | 3.60 (3.14–4.59) | p<0.1019 |
| Monthly | 6 (0.83) | 2 (0.68) | 4 (66.67) | 2.70 (1.14–6.34) | 3.35 (1.39–5.32) | 4.29 (1.15–4.52) | |
| Weekly | 9 (1.25) | 7 (2.38) | 2 (22.22) | 1.44 (0.90–2.30) | 1.68 (0.95–2.41) | 1.38 (1.29–3.07) | |
| Daily | 699 (97.08) | 283 (96.26) | 258 (36.91) | 1.54 (1.43–1.65) | 2.23 (2.08–2.38) | 1.60 (0.86–2.94) | |
| Fruit Consumption | |||||||
| Never | 14 (1.94) | 5 (1.70) | 5 (35.71) | 1.51 (0.88–2.61) | 2.20 (1.13–3.27) | 1.57 (0.63–3.78) | p<0.0786 |
| Monthly | 81 (11.25) | 31 (10.54) | 28 (34.57) | 1.56 (1.30–1.85) | 2.03 (1.69–2.38) | 1.70 (1.19–2.59) | |
| Weekly | 334 (46.39) | 136 (46.26) | 117 (35.03) | 1.43 (1.30–1.58) | 2.10 (1.89–2.31) | 1.45 (0.75–2.83) | |
| Daily | 291 (40.42) | 122 (41.50) | 119 (40.89) | 1.70 (1.52–1.91) | 2.46 (2.21–2.72) | 1.80 (1.00–3.25) | |
| Fish Consumption | |||||||
| Never | 22 (3.06) | 10 (3.40) | 1 (4.55) | 0.32 (0.16–0.64) | 0.57 (0.33–0.81) | 0.38 (0.24–0.81) | p<0.0001 |
| Monthly | 322 (44.72) | 135 (45.92) | 99 (30.75) | 1.37 (1.25–1.51) | 1.94 (1.75–2.12) | 1.46 (0.77–2.42) | |
| Weekly | 301 (41.81) | 121 (41.16) | 126 (41.86) | 1.75 (1.60–1.91) | 2.31 (2.10–2.52) | 1.80 (1.06–3.12) | |
| Daily | 75 (10.42) | 28 (9.52) | 43 (57.33) | 2.53 (2.03–3.16) | 3.76 (3.02–4.50) | 2.76 (1.25–4.92) | |
| Most common source of fish eaten in the house: (n=676) | |||||||
|
River |
318 (47.04) | 120 (43.96) | 147 (46.23) | 1.95 (1.77–2.14) | 2.73 (2.47–3.00) | 1.98 (1.08–3.66) | p<0.0001 |
|
Fish farm |
85 (12.57) | 35 (12.82) | 30 (35.29) | 1.26 (1.03–1.54) | 1.82 (1.50–2.14) | 1.44 (0.71–2.48) | |
|
Market |
260 (38.46) | 112 (41.03) | 82 (31.54) | 1.47 (1.34–1.62) | 1.97 (1.77–2.16) | 1.53 (0.87–2.62) | |
| Other | 13 (1.92) | 6 (2.20) | 3 (23.08) | 1.54 (1.06–2.24) | 1.83 (1.08–2.59) | 1.59 (1.18–2.00) | |
| Trophic Level Adjusted Fish Consumption Index | |||||||
| Tertile 1 | 262 (36.39) | 115 (39.12) | 68 (25.95) | 1.13 (1.00–1.27) | 1.61 (1.44–1.77) | 1.28 (0.67–2.22) | p<0.0001 |
| Tertile 2 | 228 (31.67) | 90 (30.61) | 81 (35.53) | 1.59 (1.42–1.78) | 2.31 (2.02–2.60) | 1.60 (0.98–3.04) | |
| Tertile 3 | 230 (31.94) | 89 (30.27) | 120 (52.17) | 2.17 (1.95–2.41) | 2.90 (2.61–3.20) | 2.39 (1.31–3.93) | |
| C. Community Characteristics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Location | Participants n(%) | Communities n(%) | N (%) exceeding 2.2 μg/g Hair THg | Geometric mean (95% CI) | Arithmetic mean (95% CI) | Median (IQR) | Kruskal-Wallis H test |
| Urban | |||||||
| Rural | 482 (66.67) | 35 (76.09) | 188 (39.00) | 1.64 (1.51–1.77) | 2.35 (2.16–2.54) | 1.69 (0.98–3.17) | p<0.0224 |
| Urban | 241 (33.33) | 11 (23.91) | 81 (33.61) | 1.37 (1.21–1.55) | 2.00 (1.77–2.25) | 1.49 (0.76–2.73) | |
| Mining-affected Area | |||||||
|
No |
281 (39.13) | 18 (39.13) | 91 (32.38) | 1.37 (1.24–1.52) | 1.93 (1.72–2.14) | 1.40 (0.80–2.61) | p<0.0015 |
| Yes | 442 (60.87) | 28 (60.83) | 178 (40.27) | 1.66 (1.52–1.82) | 2.43 (2.23–2.64) | 1.74 (1.01–3.39) | |
| Community Location relative to Puerto Maldonado (PEM) | |||||||
| >150 km west of PEM | 78 (10.79) | 6 (13) | 18 (23.08) | 1.22 (1.03–1.44) | 1.55 (1.32–1.78) | 1.27 (0.77–2.04) | p<0.0002 |
| 51–150 km west of PEM | 123 (17.01) | 8 (17.39) | 50 (40.65) | 1.61 (1.31–1.97) | 2.45 (2.08–2.84) | 1.71 (1.01–3.53) | |
| ≥0–50 km west of PEM | 158 (21.85) | 11 (23.91) | 80 (50.63) | 1.94 (1.67–2.24) | 2.82 (2.44–3.21) | 2.21 (1.04–2.78) | |
| >0–50 km north of PEM | 156 (21.58) | 9 (19.57) | 54 (34.62) | 1.45 (1.24–1.69) | 2.19 (1.84–2.54) | 1.57 (0.78–2.80) | |
| 51–150 km north PEM | 119 (16.46) | 5 (10.87) | 29 (24.37) | 1.35 (1.20–1.53) | 1.71 (1.47–1.95) | 1.25 (0.86–2.15) | |
| >150 km north of PEM | 89 (12.31) | 7 (15.22) | 38 (42.70) | 1.58 (1.31–1.92) | 2.27 (1.86–2.68) | 1.66 (0.89–3.10) | |
a
Compared to households not engaged in the economic activity
b
households may have more than one economic activity.