Recognizing and Preventing Overexposure to Methylmercury from Fish and Seafood Consumption: Information for Physicians
Table 3
Cases of MeHg poisoning.
A 40-year-old lawyer who ate fish three or four times a week, primarily sea bass, could not sleep and lost his ability to concentrate. His hair contained 13 ppm mercury and his blood level was 58 g/L.
A middle-aged sales manager ate fish eight or nine times a week, usually choosing tuna, swordfish, halibut, or sea bass. She experienced chronic fatigue, muscle aches, memory and concentration loss, and thinning of hair. When diagnosed, her blood mercury level was 76 g/L.
A 66-year-old guitarist experienced a loss of fine motor coordination that affected her ability to play her instrument. She also had muscle weakness, thinning hair, and hand tremors. She had been eating swordfish and tuna steaks four to five times a week. Her blood mercury was 38 g/L.
A 64-year-old anthropologist who ate fish nine times a week, often choosing tuna, swordfish, sea bass, and halibut, suffered from chronic fatigue, headaches, memory loss and, hair loss. Her blood mercury level at diagnosis was 21 g/L.
A 10-year-old boy who had always been an “A” student began having problems concentrating and completing assignments in school. He lost his ability to catch a ball and developed hand tremors. He had eaten a can of tuna every day for a year. His blood mercury level was above 60 g/L.
