Mercury Exposure in Anglers and Attendees of a Coastal Alabama Fishing Tournament

Mercury exposure and seafood consumption preferences and patterns were assessed in a small survey of anglers and attendees of the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo in 2006. This area in the northern Gulf of Mexico receives some of the highest mercury deposition in the U.S. and a number of popular sport fish from the Gulf were found to have higher mercury levels in a survey the previous year. The estimated average seafood consumption rate, 55 g/day, is 2.7 times the national average. Mercury levels in hair samples from 65 participants ranged from 0.01-4.05 ppm, with Rodeo anglers having the highest average concentration (0.93 ppm) and females the lowest (0.55 ppm). Thirty seven percent of anglers and 10% of females had hair mercury levels above 1 ppm, the EPA reference dose. The frequency of fish meals and the mercury levels in top consumed seafood explained 54% of the variability in hair mercury levels (p< 0.0001). Results from this survey were compared to national and regional data. Female mercury levels from this survey were double the national average reported for women of childbearing age. Mercury levels in this coastal survey were 4 times higher than those found in a similar survey in inland, northern Alabama. This finding may be partly explained by the lower seafood consumption and lower mercury levels in the top consumed fish in the inland population.