Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Differential exposure to metallic mercury in children under 5 living in areas of gold mining of Antioquia, Colombia

2020; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Volume: 2020; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1289/isee.2020.virtual.p-0471

2169-2181

M. Soto Velasquez,

Mercury impact and mitigation studies

Background: The department of Antioquia in Colombia has the highest rates of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASM) mostly without mining permits. ASM is not a homogeneous process and exposure to metallic mercury can be variable, fetuses and those in early childhood are the most susceptible to its toxicity. Aim: to identify risk factors related to the body burden of mercury among children under 5 years, living, but not working, close to ASM in Colombia.Methods: a base-line for a cohort study was carried out with 240 children in the municipalities of Anzá, Caicedo and Sabanalarga in Colombia. Collection of sociodemographic variables and urine samples for detection of mercury levels was was carried out with the consent of the legal guardian of the child. Levels equal to or greater than 5 μg/g were considered exposedResults: Fifteen (15) children had higher than admissible levels of mercury and of these, three exceeded 30 μg/g and one was above 90 μg/g. In Guintar and Chuscalita in the municipality of Anzá where amalgam burning is performed, the highest levels of mercury were found and, in all children, mercury was detected in urine. In Caicedo, where ASM has been nearly absent for almost 4 years levels of mercury were the lowest. Sabanalarga, where bareboat artisanal mining is practiced with little use of mercury, only one case exceeded 5 μg/g. No differences in mercury level were found when comparing: sex, age, breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, history of vaccination, median age, and level of schooling of the caregiver.This research revealed an environmental health problem that was not previously identified in these municipalities and points out the need for non-passive epidemiological surveillance and for actions not only with those who seem to be more exposed, but with those most susceptible