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- Mercury exposure in Portuguese adolescentsPublication . Namorado, Sónia; Gomes, Diogo; Iria, Diogo; Cestelli, Federico; Mota, Afonso; Alves, Bernardo; Leal, João; Luz, Andreia; Gomes, João; Barros, Rafael; Pastorinho, M. Ramiro; Sousa, Ana C.A.The possible health effects related to exposure to hazardous chemicals have let to citizens interest in environmental health. Mercury, in particular, has been recognized as a chemical of concern, due to its well-known neurotoxicity and endocrine disrupting potential. In this work a group of teenagers from a school in Lisbon together with their teachers and researchers from the academia conducted a human biomonitoring survey on mercury levels in the students from their school. Recruitment was performed in a private school in Lisbon by a group of students from the 11th and 12th grade under the supervision of biology teachers and after having received training from researchers from the academia. All participants answered a questionnaire with specific questions on possible mercury exposure sources (e.g. seafood consumption, dental amalgams). Hair samples were collected and analysed using atomic absorption spectrometry with thermal decomposition and gold amalgamation alongside with human hair certified reference material. The study protocol was approved by the Pedagogical Board of the school and authorized by the National Data Protection Commission. From the 92 students recruited, with ages ranging from 12 to 18 years, 56.5% were females, most lived in urban areas (91.3%) and the majority (97.8%) did not have dental amalgam fillings. Participants Body Mass index (BMI) ranged from 15.1 to 28.4 kg/m2, with a mean of 20.6 ± 2.6 kg/m2. Total mercury in hair ranged from 0.01 to 3.32 μg/g, with a mean of 1.09 ± 0.66 μg/g. Around 40% of the students had mercury levels higher the US EPA reference limit of 1 μg/g, while 9.8% exhibit levels higher than the reference dose set by the WHO (2 μg/g). Levels of mercury above the US EPA reference limit are significantly associated with higher consumption of fish (more than once a week), but not with shellfish and seaweed consumption.
- Assessing exposure to environmental contaminants in portuguese mother-infant pairs: the project ARTEMISPublication . Namorado, Sónia; Pastorinho, M. Ramiro; Simões, Mariana; Coelho, Susana; Lamy, Elsa; Silva, Susana Pereira; Ogura, Joana; Nunes, Baltazar; Sousa, Ana CatarinaObjective: Today chemicals play a major role in our daily lives, being present in the air we breathe, in the food we eat and in the products we use. As such, it is essential to know the levels of chemicals present in our bodies and assess the risks associated. For that, Human Biomonitoring (HBM), the measurement of the concentrations of chemicals in human biological samples, is a very useful technique. Nevertheless, Portuguese HBM data is scarce and more knowledge on the exposure to chemicals of the Portuguese population is needed. It is then proposed to develop a study to assess the current environmental exposure of Portuguese children and women of childbearing age, vulnerable groups of the population, to selected chemicals, particularly metals and endocrine disruptors. Methods: The project ARTEMIS will evaluate exposure of children aged 6-11 years old and their mothers aged 45 years or less residing in four selected rural and urban areas in Portugal (LVT and Alentejo regions). Recruitment will be done through schools. Urine and hair samples will be collected for the analysis of exposure biomarkers, namely of metals (including mercury, cadmium and arsenic), bisphenols and cotinine. Additionally, saliva samples will be collected for the analysis of effect biomarkers (salivary proteome). Questionnaire data on socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, nutrition, health, and specific information on exposure to the selected chemicals will be collected using CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing). A biobank will also be established to allow further analysis of the samples. Expected results: ARTEMIS will be an innovative project that will not only produce much needed data on the current exposure of the Portuguese population to chemicals, but also allow to evaluate time trends of exposure to some chemicals by comparison with the results from previous projects and to study the association of exposure with biomarkers of effect.