Determinación de mercurio (Hg) en especies ícticas de Ayapel, (Córdoba – Colombia) y análisis de riesgo por consumo humano

Abstract

Several studies have been carried out in the Ayapel swamp due to contamination by mercury and other metals in sediments, plants and fish, bearing in mind that it has been an area impacted by gold mining activities in the San Jorge basin. The concentrations of mercury (Hg) in muscle tissue of fish species from the Ayapel swamp were evaluated to determine possible risks to human health. An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted in which surveys were applied to 74 inhabitants of the municipality of Ayapel, to collect information on fish consumption. Samples of fish with higher consumption were taken by the participants according to the surveys. The fish samples were analyzed by direct mercury analyzer (Mylestone DMA 80 Tri Cell). In general, most of the analyzed samples had concentrations lower than the maximum acceptable value in fish for human consumption, according to the Codex Alimentarius. A significant percentage of participants exceeded the value of the Tolerable Provisional Weekly Intake (ISPT) established as no risk of adverse health effects for both the most sensitive population group (women of childbearing age and children up to 15 years old = 1.6 μg / kg body weight) as for the rest of the population (3.2 μg / kg body weight).