Tokyo: People who frequently eat pilot whale meat tend to have high levels of mercury in their hair, says a study of residents of a Wakayama Prefecture town known for whaling.
The study was conducted in Taiji by researchers at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido and the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Daiichi University in Fukuoka Prefecture.
The team said there were three people whose mercury levels in their hair exceeded 50 parts per million, a level that can cause neurological symptoms.
Whales and dolphins tend to have high concentrations of mercury in their bodies as they accumulate mercury through the food chain.
Associate professor at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido Tetsuya Endo said it is unlikely that the residents will immediately experience mercury-induced health problems, but said those with high mercury levels should consider cutting down on their whale meat consumption.
The group collected hair samples from 50 residents -- 30 men and 20 women -- between December last year and July this year and asked them how often they eat pilot whale meat.
Mercury levels averaged 21.6 parts per million (ppm) among men and 11.9 ppm among women, both of which were about 10 times the national average, it said.
The three people whose hair mercury levels exceeded 50 ppm were all men, the team said, adding that they ate the whale meat more than once a month.
The study said mercury levels were halved in about two months once the residents stopped eating whale meat.
