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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Laura Anderko, RN PhD, Nursing, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 1921 E. Hartford, Milwaukee, WI 53211, 414 229-2313, landerko@uwm.edu

Mercury is a highly toxic metal, a neurotoxin that poses a serious threat to health. Dietary fish intake is the most important source of human exposure to methylmercury. Because of the increased popularity of fish as a source of dietary protein, a significant percentage of the U.S. population may be at risk of methylmercury-induced health problems. Nearly 90% of the U.S. population consumes fish on a regular basis and the EPA estimates that over 600,000 children born every year are exposed to unsafe levels of toxic mercury in-utero. This methylmercury exposure assessment study entitled the FISH Study (Fish consumption), (Investigation), (Screening), and (Health education), is based on a pilot study conducted by the Midwest Nursing Centers Consortium Research Network (MNCCRN) in collaboration with the Wisconsin State Health Department. The MNCCRN is a federally funded Practice-Based Research Network comprised of nineteen academic community nursing centers based in fifteen academic settings. This study was designed to evaluate fish consumption patterns and mercury body burdens among clients of four MNCCRN member agencies located in the Great Lakes Region. Baccalaureate nursing students participate in the screening effort, receiving training on environmental exposure assessment and screening procedures. Clients are asked to complete a brief dietary questionnaire to determine: Fish consumption (type of fish and quantity of fish consumed per meal) and any self-reported neurological complaints. Hair samples are collected and analyzed to determine levels of methylmercury. Correlations of fish consumption with body burdens, as well as comparison of body burdens among clients to national exposure data (e.g., NHANES) will be presented. Implications for public health nursing practice and national environmental health policy will also be presented. This study is funded in part through the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship program.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

• Describe potential risk factors for and related health effects of mercury toxicity within the U.S.
• Outline procedures for mercury screening and health education activities within a primary care setting.
• Compare study findings with national exposure data.

Keywords: Environmental Health Hazards, Practice-Based Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No