Table 4

The Spearman correlation coefficients between mercury species in different media and exposure vavariables. Spearman correlation coefficients of inorganic mercury (IHg) and organic mercury (OHg) species in whole blood (B; μg/L), red blood cells (RBC; μg/L), plasma (P; μg/L) and urine (U: μg/L, adjusted to density 1.019) and IHg, OHg and total mercury (THg) in hair (H; mg/kg) and the exposure variables fish consumption (number of meals per month) and number of dental amalgam fillings. The number of samples are 25–28. The significance level is indicated as * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.

B-OHg

RBC-IHg

RBC-OHg

P-IHg

P-OHg

H-THg

H-IHg

H-OHg

U-IHg

U-OHg

Fish

Amalgam

B-IHg

0.19

0.83 ***

0.25

0.91 ***

0.05

0.28

0.29

0.27

0.81 ***

-0.11

0.07

0.48 *

B-OHg

0.38

0.96 ***

0.07

0.82 ***

0.87 ***

0.79 ***

0.87 ***

-0.07

0.27

0.82 ***

0.09

RBC-IHg

0.45 *

0.70 ***

0.34

0.46 *

0.42 *

0.43 *

0.73 ***

0.04

0.37

0.27

RBC-OHg

0.13

0.77 ***

0.82 ***

0.81 ***

0.81 ***

0.03

0.22

0.76 ***

0.14

P-IHg

-0.13

0.16

0.16

0.14

0.74 ***

-0.14

-0.04

0.49 *

P-OHg

0.77 ***

0.74 ***

0.75 ***

-0.003

0.29

0.82 ***

0.06

H-THg

0.86 ***

0.99 ***

0.18

0.32

0.75 ***

0.28

H-IHg

0.83 ***

0.28

0.28

0.63 ***

0.32

H-OHg

0.17

0.31

0.74 ***

0.30

U-IHg

0.05

-0.03

0.49 **

U-OHg

0.24

-0.007

Fish

0.13

Berglund et al. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source 2005 4:20   doi:10.1186/1476-069X-4-20