Virginia Research Day 2021

Implications and Significance of Mercury in Rice James R. Palmieri 1 *, Tracee Guthrie 1 , Gurleen Kaur 1 , Erin Collins 1 , Brooke Benjamin 1 , Jessica Brunette 1 , McAlister Council-

Troche 2 , Meghan L. Wilson 3 , Susan Meacham 4 and Beverly Rzigalinski 5 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

Results

Hypothesis • Consumption of foods that are high in methylmercury(MeHg) is of particular interest due to the bioaccumulation of MeHg in the body. • Existing research on rice asserts certain heavy metals, like mercury, in the agricultural soils are incorporated into the rice plant. • Some sources of exposure come from breastfeeding, in utero consumption due crossing the blood brain barrier. • This study aims to investigate mercury levels in rice grown in the United States versus rice imported from Asia. • Mercury standard for toxicity is needed, especially for breastfeeding mothers who are exposing their children to the mercury they might be consuming on a daily basis. Table 1. Mercury levels from high to low along with the corresponding rice colour. The content of 29 rice samples was analysed for methyl mercury using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Concentration was quantified per ng of element / g sample

Materials and Methods • The 29 rice samples were collected from different locations in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia. • The content of 29 rice samples were analyzed for methylmercury using inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS) • The concentration of the samples were quantified per ng of element/ g sample

Conclusion • Solutions for addressing exposure to this ubiquitous metal and its subsequent diverse health implications include further research, public education, and increased regulations for mercury levels in rice. • Research assessing which sources of rice have high mercury concentrations so causes can be more closely examined are needed. Public education to mothers, nullipara women, and all humans about the significance of mercury exposure in foods and or breastmilk will potentially mitigate the amount of exposure. Limiting levels of mercury in rice to ameliorate transfer and exposure to this heavy metal should be analyzed.

• Summary: ○ Thailand had seven samples of the top ten with highest mercury amount. ○ sample 143-27 from China had the most with 6.01 ng of element / g sample. ○ USA had two samples from the United States in the top ten ○ India had no samples from India in the top ten. • Previous Confirmations / Contradictions: ○ Confirmations: The colored rice had the highest levels of Hg as is consistent with previous findings that [Hg] decreases with processing ○ Contradictions: China did not have the highest levels, this contradicts what was expected based on research that correlates with distance to mining facility • Limitations: Findings limited by number of samples tested.

Table 2. Average Hg in Rice samples by country . Data from all Countries was highly variable with the highest on average being from China and the lowest from India.

Image 1. Rice samples of varying color. To the right please find examples of samples. These samples are listed in the table above as brown, white, or other. Our data shows correlations between lighter rice and less content of Hg.

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