Feeding mice with diets containing mercury-contaminated fish flesh from French Guiana: a model for the mercurial intoxication of the Wayana Amerindians

Table 4 Mercury bioaccumulation in various tissues. ^a

Tissue (n = 3)	Control	Diet (Hg dose in food expressed in ng/g)
		5.4	62	520
Hairs	1 ± 0.8	81 ± 47	1579 ± 165	10364 ± 3103
Kidneys	0.3 ± 0.1	116 ± 20	1435 ± 112	7730 ± 59
Liver	0.2 ± 0.04	6.7 ± 1.2	150 ± 14	1135 ± 324
Muscles	0.2 ± 0.2	8 ± 1	88 ± 2	543 ± 65
Hippocampus	NQ	5.9 ± 1	64 ± 5	417 ± 39
Brain	NQ	5 ± 1	63 ± 3	299 ± 31
Lung	NQ	2.5 ± 1.5	77 ± 18	1111 ± 232
Intestines	NQ	2.1 ± 0.9	70 ± 4	614 ± 90
Heart	NQ	1.8 ± 0.7	64 ± 12	576 ± 69
Spleen	NQ	1.5 ± 0.3	54 ± 4	517 ± 137
Stomach	NQ	1.2 ± 0.3	45 ± 7	317 ± 119
Skin	NQ	1.2 ± 0.4	15.3 ± 3	201 ± 28
Blood	NQ	1.1 ± 0.6	34 ± 4	298 ± 36

^a After one month feeding with fish-containing diets mercury was quantified in tissues (ng Hg/g fresh weight, mean ± SE). NQ: not quantifiable; below the threshold value.

ISSN: 1476-069X