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Ethnic Differences In Risk From Mercury Among Savannah River Fishermen, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, Michael Gochfeld
Ethnic Differences In Risk From Mercury Among Savannah River Fishermen, Joanna Burger, Karen F. Gaines, Michael Gochfeld
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
Fishing plays an important role in people's lives and contaminant levels in fish are a public health concern. Many states have issued consumption advisories; South Carolina and Georgia have issued them for the Savannah River based on mercury and radionuclide levels. This study examined ethnic differences in risk from mercury exposure among people consuming fish from the Savannah River, based on site-specific consumption patterns and analysis of mercury in fish. Among fish, there were significant interspecies differences in mercury levels, and there were ethnic differences in consumption patterns. Two methods of examining risk are presented: (1) Hazard Index (HI), and …