Table 1 Annual numbers of births and numbers exceeding three cut-off limits, as indicated by hair-mercury analyses (in μg / g) in population samples in European countries
Countrya | Annual number of births (2008) | Number of samplesb | Above 0.58 μg/g | Above 1.0 μg/g | Above 2.5 μg/g | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Proportion in sample (%) | Estimated number of births | Proportion in sample (%) | Estimated number of births | Proportion in sample (%) | Estimated number of births | |||
Austria | 77,800 | NA | (6.7) | 5,213 | (0.8) | 622 | (0) | 0 |
Belgium | 127,200 | 129 | 28.7 | 36,506 | 9.3 | 11,830 | 0 | 0 |
242c | 23.2 | 29,510 | 7.2 | 9,158 | 0 | |||
Bulgaria | 77,700 | NA | (4.2) | 3,263 | (1.2) | 932 | (0.8) | 622 |
Croatia | 43,800 | 234d | 52.0 | 22,776 | 22.0 | 9,636 | 4.7 | 2,059 |
Cyprus | 9,200 | 60 | 36.7 | 3,376 | 18.3 | 1,684 | 3.3 | 304 |
Czech Republic | 119,600 | 120 | 5.0 | 5,980 | 0.8 | 957 | 0 | 0 |
Denmark | 65,000 | 145 | 36.6 | 23,790 | 13.1 | 8515 | 0.7 | 455 |
Estonia | 16,000 | NA | (10.0) | 1,600 | (2.0) | 320 | (0) | 0 |
Faroe Islands | 675 | 505e | 62.6 | 423 | 30.2 | 204 | 5.3 | 36 |
Finland | 59,500 | NA | (10.0) | 5,950 | (2.0) | 1,190 | (0) | 0 |
France | 829,300 | 126f | 44.0 | 364,892 | 14.51 | 120,331 | 0.61 | 5,059 |
Germany | 682,500 | 120 | 6.7 | 45,728 | 0.8 | 5,460 | 0 | 0 |
Greece | 118,300 | 454d | 78 | 92,274 | 57 | 67,431 | 14 | 16,562 |
Hungary | 99,100 | 120 | 0.83 | 823 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ireland | 74,000 | 120 | 10.8 | 7,992 | 2.5 | 1,850 | 0 | 0 |
Italy | 576,700 | 891d + 115g | (65.6) | 378,315 | (36.8) | 212,226 | (5.7) | 32,872 |
Latvia | 23,834 | NA | (10.0) | 2,383 | (2.0) | 477 | (0) | 0 |
Lithuania | 35,100 | NA | (10.0) | 3,510 | (2.0) | 702 | (0) | 0 |
Luxembourg | 5,600 | 55 | 32.7 | 1,831 | 18.2 | 1,019 | 0 | 0 |
Malta | 4,100 | NA | (65.6) | 2,690 | (36.8) | 1,509 | (5.7) | 234 |
Netherlands | 184,600 | NA | (23.2) | 42,827 | (7.2) | 13,291 | (0) | 0 |
Norway | 60,500 | 119h | 27.7 | 16,759 | 5.9 | 3,570 | 0 | 0 |
Poland | 414,500 | 120 | 1.7 | 7047 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Portugal | 104,600 | 120 | 90.8 | 94,977 | 57.5 | 60,145 | 8.3 | 8,682 |
Romania | 221,900 | 120 | 4.2 | 9,320 | 1.2 | 2,663 | 0.8 | 1,775 |
Slovakia | 57,400 | 129 | 5.43 | 3,117 | 0.8 | 459 | 0 | 0 |
Slovenia | 21,800 | 156 | 22.0 | 4,796 | 7.7 | 1,679 | 1.9 | 414 |
Spain | 519,800 | 120 | 88.5 | 460,023 | 74.2 | 385,692 | 31.7 | 164,777 |
Sweden | 109,300 | 100 | 10.0 | 10,930 | 2.0 | 2,186 | 0 | 0 |
Switzerland | 76,700 | 120 | 5.0 | 3,835 | 2.1 | 1,611 | 0 | 0 |
United Kingdom | 794,400 | 4134h | 31.0 | 246,264 | 5.1 | 40,200 | 0 | 0 |
Total EU (27) | 5,400,000 | 1,865,416 | 903,169 | 231,754 | ||||