Dear Subscriber !

Welcome to the September issue of EVISA's Speciation Newsletter.

In our August issue we reported about the development of knowledge on the toxicity of methylmercury. For most people the main source of methylmercury is fish (especially marine predatory fish). A group of researchers from China and Norway now found out that for chinese populations living within mercury polluted areas far from sea  rice rather than fish is the major source. They also speculate that such situation might be present in other parts of the world.  While rice is already known to accumulate arsenic from the paddy fields, it seems that mercury has to be added to the potential contaminants that should be monitored (see the news below).

Another source for exposure for toxic metal species is the workspace. Especially workers in contact with toxic metals and metal compounds are at risk. One of the most regulated species is hexavalent chromium, a carcinogenic species that is discussed in the movie "Erin Brockovich". Now EPA filed a complaint under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) against the world’s largest producer of chromium chemicals for failing to inform the agency of findings from an epidemiological study showing a “substantial risk” of injury to health among workers exposed to hexavalent chromium. This TSCA 8(e) allegation continues a long saga of the chromium industry’s efforts to obscure evidence about the metal’s carcinogenicity (see the News below).