DSpace Repository

Five hundred years of mercury exposure and adaptation.

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.author Lombardi, Guido
dc.contributor.author Lanzirotti, Antonio
dc.contributor.author Qualls, Clifford
dc.contributor.author Socola, Francisco
dc.contributor.author Ali, Abdul-Mehdi
dc.contributor.author Appenzeller, Otto
dc.date.accessioned 2022-01-18T19:34:34Z
dc.date.available 2022-01-18T19:34:34Z
dc.date.issued 2012
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12866/11015
dc.description.abstract Mercury is added to the biosphere by anthropogenic activities raising the question of whether changes in the human chromatin, induced by mercury, in a parental generation could allow adaptation of their descendants to mercury. We review the history of Andean mining since pre-Hispanic times in Huancavelica, Peru. Despite the persistent degradation of the biosphere today, no overt signs of mercury toxicity could be discerned in present day inhabitants. However, mercury is especially toxic to the autonomic nervous system (ANS). We, therefore, tested ANS function and biologic rhythms, under the control of the ANS, in 5 Huancavelicans and examined the metal content in their hair. Mercury levels varied from none to 1.014 ppm, significantly less than accepted standards. This was confirmed by microfocused synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis. Biologic rhythms were abnormal and hair growth rate per year, also under ANS control, was reduced (P < 0.001). Thus, evidence of mercury's toxicity in ANS function was found without other signs of intoxication. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis of partial transgenerational inheritance of tolerance to mercury in Huancavelica, Peru. This would generally benefit survival in the Anthropocene, the man-made world, we now live in. en_US
dc.language.iso eng
dc.publisher Hindawi
dc.relation.ispartofseries Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology
dc.rights info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es
dc.subject Humans en_US
dc.subject Peru en_US
dc.subject article en_US
dc.subject metabolism en_US
dc.subject mining en_US
dc.subject Environmental Exposure en_US
dc.subject Adaptation, Physiological en_US
dc.subject pathophysiology en_US
dc.subject growth, development and aging en_US
dc.subject occupational exposure en_US
dc.subject X ray fluorescence en_US
dc.subject Mercury en_US
dc.subject history en_US
dc.subject History, 19th Century en_US
dc.subject History, 16th Century en_US
dc.subject History, 17th Century en_US
dc.subject History, 18th Century en_US
dc.subject History, 20th Century en_US
dc.subject Autonomic Nervous System en_US
dc.subject biological rhythm en_US
dc.subject biosphere en_US
dc.subject Circadian Rhythm en_US
dc.subject degradation en_US
dc.subject Hair en_US
dc.subject hair analysis en_US
dc.subject hair growth en_US
dc.subject Hydrogen en_US
dc.subject inheritance en_US
dc.subject Isotopes en_US
dc.subject mercurialism en_US
dc.subject Mercury Poisoning en_US
dc.subject neurotoxicity en_US
dc.subject Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission en_US
dc.title Five hundred years of mercury exposure and adaptation. en_US
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/472858
dc.subject.ocde https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#3.04.01
dc.relation.issn 1110-7251


Files in this item

Files Size Format View

There are no files associated with this item.

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess

Search DSpace


Browse

My Account

Statistics