Enrichment Opportunity - Fish and Mercury

Thanks to Hazel for passing this one along! Looks like a very interesting lecture on biomonitoring of local mercury levels.
Aloha,
Mark

Speaker: Barbara Brooks, Ph.D.
Topic: Biomonitoring of Mercury in Hawaii
When: 1:30-2:30 pm, Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Where: Hale ‘Imiloa 111, Windward Community College

In Hawaii, fish is a traditional staple protein food for Native Hawaiians and an integral part of island culture. Fish is also a favorite among other Pacific Islander and Asian peoples living in Hawaii. Fish consumption is promoted by the HDOH because of its health benefits. However, several of the popular types of fish (i.e. ahi) consumed in Hawaii contain levels of mercury that may be harmful to the developing brain. To characterize mercury exposures in Hawaii, HDOH is measuring mercury in hair in women of childbearing age and young children. Biomonitoring of mercury in women and young children living in Hawaii will be discussed in this forum.
Barbara Brooks is the State Toxicologist with the Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office, Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH). She received her Ph.D. in Toxicology from Cornell University and conducted postdoctoral work in molecular biology at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, England and the University of California, Los Angeles. She joined the HDOH in 1997. Her current focus is to enhance the environmental public health tracking of diseases related to environmental exposures. She is currently supervising two integral projects related to environmental public health tracking including surveillance using the State’s Pesticide and Heavy Metal Poisoning database and human biomonitoring for arsenic and mercury in hair. This forum is co-sponsored by Windward Community College, American Chemical Society-Hawaii Section.