DETERMINATION of MERCURY in HEAD HAIR of BRAZILIAN POPULATIONAL GROUPS BY NEUTRON-ACTIVATION ANALYSIS

In the present work, determination of mercury in the head hair of populational groups living near a heavily industrialized region in São Paulo and of Indians living in the Xingu park in the Amazonic region, was carried out by instrumental neutron activation analysis. A control group of people with no suspicion of contamination by mercury was also studied. the range of mercury concentrations found up to now were: for the control group from 0.26 to 0 2.5 ppm; for the Indians from 6.9 to 34 ppm, and for the industrialized region inhabitants: from 0.30 to 3.0 ppm.ESCOLA PAULISTA MED, DEPT MED PREVENT, BR-04023 São Paulo, BRAZILESCOLA PAULISTA MED, DEPT MED PREVENT, BR-04023 São Paulo, BRAZILWeb of Scienc

Multielemental hair composition of Brazilian Indian populational groups by instrumental neutron activation analysis

In the present paper, for the first time the multielemental composition of hair samples of Indian populations living in the Xingu Park Reservation, in the Brazilian Amazonic region has been determined, by INAA. Irradiations were carried out at the Interfaculty Reactor Institute (Delft, The Netherlands) and, using a combination of different irradiation and decay times, about 40 elements could be determined in the hair. Previous analysis made at the Radiochemistry Division of IPEN/CNEN-SP (Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission) of hair samples of a Brazilian control population allowed the determination of 20 elements, also by INAA. Comparison of the data obtained for the Indian populations and the controls showed very significant differences in elemental compositions for some elements, like Hg, Mn and Al while for others, like Cu and Zn, the concentrations were similar. A discussion of the differences found for other elements also is made in the present paper.IPEN, BR-05422970 Sao Paulo, BrazilDelft Univ Technol, Interfac Reactor Inst, NL-2629 JB Delft, NetherlandsUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Prevent Med, BR-04039031 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Prevent Med, BR-04039031 Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Determination of mercury and selenium in hair samples of Brazilian Indian populations living in the Amazonic region by NAA

Biomonitoring of mercury contamination of Brazilian Indian population groups living in the Xingu Park, a reservation situated in the Amazonic region, has revealed very high levels of mercury in hair samples as compared to controls. Total mercury was determined by INAA in most of the tribes living in the Park and methylmercury was determined by CVAAS in samples with total mercury above 10 mg/kg. Due to the fact that selenium seems to protect animals against the toxic effects of methylmercury, it was considered also of interest to determine its concentrations in the hair samples with very high mercury levels. Selenium was determined by INAA via the short-lived radionuclide Se-77m (T-1/2 = 17.45 s). the correlations between selenium and mercury concentrations in Brazilian controls and in the Indian population groups are discussed.IPEN CNEN SP, Div Radiochem, BR-05422970 São Paulo, BrazilDelft Univ Technol, Interfac Reactor Inst, Delft, NetherlandsJozef Stefan Inst, Dept Environm Sci, Ljubljana, SloveniaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

An overview of mercury contamination research in the Amazon basin with an emphasis on Brazil Uma revisão das pesquisas sobre contaminação por mercúrio na Amazônia com ênfase no território brasileiro

This article provides an overview of research on mercury contamination in the Amazon Basin and its evolution from 1990 to 2005. The assessment was based on an extensive and systematic review using bibliographic databases available online and a review of projects by research groups. Brazilian research groups were identified using the database of the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq). A geographic information system was used to determine the location of the studies. Different aspects of mercury contamination were evaluated (environmental studies, impacts on human health, technological improvements). For 1990-2005, a total of 455 publications were identified. The main advances and remaining gaps in relation to environmental issues and human health were identified and discussed. Although the scientific output varied considerably over the period, there was a general increase in the total number of publications per year from the early 1990s (fewer than 20) until 2005 (more than 30), considering the articles published in indexed journals.<br>Esta pesquisa apresenta uma visão geral dos estudos desenvolvidos sobre a contaminação por mercúrio na bacia Amazônica e a evolução destes estudos no período 1990-2005. O estudo baseou-se em extensiva e sistemática revisão utilizando bases de dados bibliográficas disponíveis na Internet e em uma revisão dos projetos de pesquisa realizados por grupos de pesquisa. Além disso, os grupos de pesquisa brasileiros foram identificados pela base de dados do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). Um sistema de informação geográfica foi usado para localizar os estudos conduzidos. Diferentes aspectos da contaminação por mercúrio na Amazônia foram analisados (estudos ambientais, impactos na saúde humana, melhorias tecnológicas). No período de 1990-2005, foram identificadas 455 publicações. As principais realizações e as lacunas existentes em relação aos estudos ambientais e de saúde humana foram identificadas e discutidas. Apesar de variações, há um aumento geral do número total de publicações por ano desde o começo da década de 1990 (menos de 20) para o final do período estudado (mais de 30), expresso por meio dos artigos publicados em revistas indexadas