水星和铅威胁拉丁美洲社区

干预计划非常需要支持接触水星的亚马逊社区污染in Latin America, and孩子们谁是受铅中毒影响最大的人。

These are the conclusions of a研究评论在2016年至2021年之间进行，发表在Current Opinion in Toxicology,这也突出了缺乏数据评估问题的真实规模。

Exposure to lead and mercury is widely recognised as a global public健康问题，发展中国家的儿童受到特别影响。

在亚马逊中，汞污染与在黄金净化过程中使用的手工和小规模的黄金开采有关。有毒金属污染鱼类，土著社区很大程度上依赖鱼类18beplay .

“可以预防接触这些有毒金属，但不幸的是，暴露的社区几乎没有或根本没有关注问题来抵消该问题。”

Jesus Olivero Verbel, researcher, University of Cartagena, Colombia

这项研究称，较宽区域的铅污染主要是由于电子废物，电池回收或釉面陶瓷的制造引起的。

来自哥伦比亚卡塔赫纳大学的研究作者耶稣·奥利弗罗·马特尔（Jesus Olivero Verbel）说：“对这些有毒金属的接触是可以预防的，但不幸的是，暴露的社区几乎没有或根本没有州的关注来抵消该问题。而且，如果我们将其添加到特别与采矿相关的腐败，则该解决方案远非达到。”

他补充说，不受限制地，亚马逊土著人民之间的汞暴露不仅会危害自己的生存，而且会危害亚马逊本身的生存，并危害着地球的生存。”

In people living in Colombian Amazonian villages next to the Caqueta, Cotuhe and Apaporis rivers, mercury was detected in hair in levels of up to 23 μg/g (microgram/gram). This compares to the one μg/g threshold set by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the 10 μg/g level considered high.

在巴西，在居住在Uraricoera河旁边的Yanomami社区中，平均检测到15.5μg/g。

Olivero Verbel说：“我们需要促进无汞黄金提取的计划，尤其是在祖先进行这些活动，推动教育和环境健康的社区中，以在科学的支持下解决问题。”beplay足球体育的微博

In studies conducted in Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay, the highest blood levels of lead were found among battery recyclers in Mexico City — an average of 69 μg/dL (micrograms per decilitre). According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anything above five µg/dl in the blood is considered high.

两年前，墨西哥估计一到四岁的儿童中的铅污染。beplay足球体育的微博环境流行病学家Mara Tellez Rojo是墨西哥公共卫生研究所的研究员，他没有参加这项研究。她说：“我们认为17.5％的儿童（140万）患有铅中毒。这是一个非常令人担忧的情况。

“In Mexico, the main source of exposure is the use of glazed clay slab, which is handmade in domestic ovens and varnished with a lead-based glaze. This is the main source of exposure. But we know that there are many others such as mining, certain types of paints or electronic waste.”

In Montevideo, Uruguay, a recent study of 259 school children found up to 9.2 µg/dl of lead in the blood. In a fishing community in Tasjera, Colombia, on a sample of 554 children aged between five and 16 years old, the average was 8.9 µg/dl.

Even in low concentrations, the authors highlighted, studies have linked lead with cognitive disability in children, as well as metabolic, immune and even genetic alterations.

尽管汞具有神经毒性作用，但研究人员强调缺乏有关该污染物影响的信息，尤其是在族裔社区中。

Mexico is currently designing a national programme for the prevention of lead exposure. “We are advancing an epidemiological surveillance system,” said Tellez Rojo. “It is our main recommendation not only for Mexico but for (all) the countries of the region.”

This article was originally produced by SciDev.Net’s Latin America and Caribbean desk, and edited for brevity and clarity.