Predictors of blood mercury levels in older urban residents

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the distribution and predictors of blood mercury levels in an adult population. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of first-visit data (2001-2002) on a random sample of 474 subjects from the Baltimore Memory Study. RESULTS: After adjustment for race/ethnicity, education, assets, and diabetes, persons in the highest quartile of fish consumption had median mercury levels 1.82 times above the levels in the lowest quartile, while those in the highest education category had median mercury levels 1.57 times higher than levels in the lowest category. Nine percent of subjects were above the reference dose recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency, which is high compared with that found by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in women of childbearing age. CONCLUSIONS: These findings offer guidance for targeted education and possible new insights regarding the kinetics of mercury. Copyright © 2006 by American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.