Mercury Toxicity and the Mitigating Role of Selenium

Mercury is a well-known environmental toxicant, particularly in its most common organic form, methylmercury. Consumption of fish and shellfish that contain methylmercury is a dominant source of mercury exposure in humans and piscivorous wildlife. Considerable efforts have focused on assessment of me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:EcoHealth 2008-12, Vol.5 (4), p.456-459
Main Authors: Berry, Marla J., Ralston, Nicholas V. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Ecology
Animals
Bioaccumulation
Ecosystems
Environmental Health
Environmental Pollutants
Enzymatic activity
Forum
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mercury
Mercury Poisoning - diet therapy
Mercury Poisoning - metabolism
Mercury Poisoning - prevention & control
Methylmercury
Methylmercury Compounds - adverse effects
Methylmercury Compounds - pharmacology
Methylmercury Compounds - poisoning
Microbiology
Public Health
Seafood
Selenium
Selenium - administration & dosage
Selenium - metabolism
Selenium - pharmacology
Shellfish
Toxicants
Toxicity
Trace elements
Water and Health
Wildlife
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Summary:Mercury is a well-known environmental toxicant, particularly in its most common organic form, methylmercury. Consumption of fish and shellfish that contain methylmercury is a dominant source of mercury exposure in humans and piscivorous wildlife. Considerable efforts have focused on assessment of mercury and its attendant risks in the environment and food sources, including the studies reported in this issue. However, studies of mercury intoxication have frequently failed to consider the protective effects of the essential trace element, selenium. Mercury binds to selenium with extraordinarily high affinity, and high maternal exposures inhibit selenium-dependent enzyme activities in fetal brains. However, increased maternal dietary selenium intakes preserve these enzyme activities, thereby preventing the pathological effects that would otherwise arise in their absence. Recent evidence indicates that assessments of mercury exposure and tissue levels need to consider selenium intakes and tissue distributions in order to provide meaningful risk evaluations.
ISSN:1612-9202
1612-9210
DOI:10.1007/s10393-008-0204-y