摘要
The contents of total and methyl mercury in scalp hair samples of 1179 fishermenliving at a typical Hg-polluted region in Northeast China and 27 lying-in womenand their new born babies in Beijing have been determined by illstrumental neutronactivation analysis, gas chromatography (electron coupling) and other techniqlles.Only 18 of all fishermen have the Hg contents above 5 ig/g, which indicates that theHg pollution there has been substantially alleviated. The longitudinal Hg patternsof the lying-in women show a gradually lowering tendency during pregnant period.Further, the Hg contents of the new-born babies are generally above or close to those oftheir mothers, confirming the mechanism that the methyl Hg, an organic species of Hgwith high toxicity, is readily able to penetrate the placental barrier and accumulatedin fetus. Thus, the mercury poison hajs occurred at the early stage of pregnancy.