Chromosome Breakage in Humans Exposed to Methyl Mercury through Fish Consumption

Chromosome analysis was performed on cells from lymphocyte cultures from nine subjects with increased levels of mercury in their red blood cells and in four healthy controls. The elevated mercury levels were likely tal have originated from dietary fish with high levels of methyl mercury. A statistically significant rank correlation was found between the frequency of cells with chromosome breaks and mercury concentration. The biological significance of these findings is at present unknown.