Indoor PM2.5 and Blood Mercury Levels in Ulaanbaatar City Adults

Abstract

Background: Almost all of the global population (99%) are exposed to air pollution levels levels that exceed the safe WHO guideline level for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5µg/m3), with lowand middle-income countries suffering from the highest levels of exposure. An estimated 4.2 million deaths globally are linked to ambient air pollution, mainly from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. We aimed to compare the blood mercury levels of Adults in Ulaanbaatar with air pollution (PM 2.5) Materials and Methods: Study was conducted through cross-sectional design of analytic study. Here we investigated the blood mercury levels in 215 adults residing in Ulaanbaatar. Data collection was performed on January and on May period. Blood specimen was collected in anticoagulant (EDTA) containing tubes and levels of mercury were measured by cold steam Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Results: In January, mean blood mercury level was 0.462 μg/l and in May, mean was 0.450 μg/l. Mean blood mercury level was weakly correlated with the PM 2.5 in the indoor air (ρ = 0.13) and no statistically significant differences (p=0.306). Conclusion: Our study results indicate that mean of blood mercury levels was 0.456 μg/l not exceeded reference value. Mean blood mercury level was not related to the PM2.5 in the participants’ indoor environment.