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Preliminary study on total mercury in the common prepared subsistence foods of a rural Alaskan village.

Total mercury (THg), which includes neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg), poses a health risk to subsistence food users in the circumpolar north. Low levels of THg, usually below 200 ng/g, have been reported in fish muscle from both returning salmon and freshwater species samples on the Kuskokwim River in southwest Alaska. Alaska subsistence users use fish all year long, with both salmon and freshwater species stored for winter usage. A recent study showed low mercury levels in the hair of villagers and suggested that in the last 25 years, MeHg exposure has remained the same or slightly decreased in the Bethel region of Alaska. Although several previous studies have measured THg in hair of Alaskan subsistence food users, few studies have looked at the THg levels in the prepared foods of rural Alaskans. Several types of subsistence foods from Napakiak, a small Yup'ik Eskimo village on the Kuskokwim River, were assessed for total mercury content. The THg levels were low, ranging from 1 ng/g to 443.8 ng/g. A trend for the dried fish to have higher concentrations than the unprocessed fish was observed. Plants, as well as raindeer and moose meats, are low in THg and not associated with dietary exposure. Our data for Napakiak show that THg levels are low enough that mercury does not pose a significant health risk; however, more detailed consumption data in western Alaska is needed.