Human exposure of methyl mercury through fish consumption: a Lake Ontario case

The consumption of fish accounts for the most significant source of MeHg accumulation in human. The rate of mercury accumulation depends on many factor, including the amount, size, type and frequency of fish consumed, as well as the contamination levels of the aquatic habitat. The ability to accurately predict the human exposure of mercury through fish consumption is very critical for drawing public consumption guidelines. This paper describes the development of an innovative method for the estimation of human exposure of mercury through mathematical modelling. The paper provides a practicable mathematical tool for estimating the human mercury exposure through fish consumption, by a combination of fish mercury bioaccumulation models with surveyed information of fish-eating habit. The efficacy of the model is demonstrated through application to some common Lake Ontario fish species.