Table 1.
Epidemiological characteristics of participants according to Hg levels, Brazilian Amazon basin, 2015–2019.
| Variables | Low Exposure | High Exposure | Total Hg Level in the Blood (μg/L) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | Mean | Median | Standard Deviation | Min | Max | Kruskal-Wallis | |
| Age range (n = 451) * | ||||||||||
| 18–20 (n = 21) | 10 | 47.6 | 11 | 52.4 | 20.9 | 12.0 | 27.6 | 3.7 | 129.6 | χ 2 = 19.05 p = 0.0003 |
| 21–40 (n = 178) | 54 | 30.3 | 124 | 69.7 | 32.1 | 15.0 | 49.6 | 1.4 | 288.3 | |
| 41–60 (n = 190) | 37 | 19.5 | 153 | 80.5 | 44.3 | 23.5 | 59.3 | 1.6 | 296.5 | |
| >61 (n = 62) | 10 | 16.1 | 52 | 83.9 | 39.7 | 22.1 | 49.6 | 3.3 | 271.9 | |
| Gender (n = 462) | ||||||||||
| Female (n = 303) | 80 | 26.4 | 223 | 73.6 | 32.7 | 16.8 | 47.3 | 1.4 | 296.5 | χ2 = 9.11 p = 0.003 |
| Male (n = 159) | 33 | 20.8 | 126 | 79.2 | 48.1 | 25.5 | 63.9 | 1.7 | 288.3 | |
| Schooling (n = 457) * | ||||||||||
| Illiterate (n = 12) | 3 | 25.0 | 9 | 75.0 | 45.8 | 30.7 | 50.9 | 7.3 | 185.5 | χ2 = 67.85 p = 0.0001 |
| Elementary education (n = 334) | 52 | 15.6 | 282 | 84.4 | 44.7 | 24.0 | 58.5 | 1.4 | 296.5 | |
| Higher education (n = 111) | 57 | 51.4 | 54 | 48.6 | 17.3 | 9.6 | 31.6 | 1.6 | 296.5 | |
| Fish consumption (n = 457) * | ||||||||||
| Daily (n = 146) | 5 | 3.4 | 141 | 96.6 | 48.1 | 26.1 | 59.9 | 7.0 | 296.5 | χ2 = 88.62 p = 0.0001 |
| Regular (n = 235) | 57 | 24.3 | 178 | 75.7 | 40.7 | 20.1 | 56.1 | 1.4 | 296.5 | |
| Occasional (n = 76) | 47 | 61.8 | 29 | 38.2 | 12.1 | 7.6 | 14.2 | 1.6 | 80.1 | |
| Home location (n = 462) * | ||||||||||
| Riverine—Amazon River (n = 105) | 16 | 15.2 | 89 | 84.7 | 45.3 | 27.3 | 55.2 | 3.3 | 271.9 | χ2 = 79.21 p = 0.0001 |
| Riverine—Tapajós River (n = 154) | 10 | 6.5 | 144 | 93.5 | 54.3 | 25.0 | 69.3 | 1.4 | 296.5 | |
| Urban (n = 203) | 87 | 42.9 | 116 | 57.1 | 21.8 | 11.0 | 30.9 | 1.7 | 247.1 | |
* χ2 of person: Comparison of variables such as age, schooling, fish consumption, and location of residence as a function of mercury exposure (high exposure × low exposure) shows statistically significant results.