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H2020Staff exchange2021–2026

MERFISH · Health-benefit understanding of mercury-selenium interactions from fish to human

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2021-02-01 → 2026-01-31
EU contribution
€289,800
Participants
12
Scheme
MSCA-RISE

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Health-benefit understanding of mercury-selenium interactions from fish to human

In the MERFISH project, international experts from various research fields from industry and academia from EU, Brazil and Mauritius,are joining forces to tackle the pressing issue of mercury (Hg) pollution in our environment and its impact on human health. Mercury, labeled as one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern by the World Health Organization, poses serious risks, especially through fish consumption. Despite this, our understanding of mercury's pathways in nature remains limited. MERFISH aims to shed light on these pathways, focusing on the fate from fish to humans and the role of selenium (Se) in detoxification. By bringing together experts in fish nutrition, analytical chemistry, environmental science, and more, the project seeks to develop new guidelines for aquaculture practices to minimize mercury contamination in fish and ensure the proper assimilation of selenium, which acts as a counterbalance to mercury toxicity. MERFISH will contribute to setting nutritional strategies for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development. By understanding the dynamics of mercury and selenium in commonly consumed fish species from various regions, including Europe, the Arctic, Africa, and the Amazon, the project aims to guide policymakers in making informed decisions about food safety and commercial fisheries. Ultimately, MERFISH represents a collaborative effort to address environmental, health, socioeconomic, and food safety challenges associated with mercury pollution. Through its interdisciplinary approach and pioneering research, the project aims to build a lasting network of experts dedicated to tackling the global issue of mercury contamination.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

MERFISH brings together international experts from a wide array of interdisciplinary research areas (analytical chemistry, fish nutrition, environmental science, communication, toxicology & aquaculture) from industry and academia from EU, Brazil and Mauritius, with a long-term goal of furthering the understanding of the source, transport, fate and effects of mercury from fish to humans and the detoxification role of selenium. MERFISH surges from a global demand, directly related to mercury, one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern identified by the World Health Organization. However, mercury metabolic pathways in biota still remain poorly understood. Its understanding is crucial to elucidate its (eco)toxic effect and to identify important drivers of the mercury biogeochemical cycle.Fish and seafood consumption is the principal human exposure source to (toxic) methymercury. EU food safety authorities (such as EFSA), and well-known US and United Nation environmental and food organizations (such as USEPA and FAO) clearly advise about avoiding certain fish species for vulnerable populations (including pregnant women and young children) depending on their methymercury concentrations. Mercury binding with proteins has been identified as a potential cause for toxicity and the role of selenium as antagonist for mercury toxicity has been identified but not well understood. MERFISH is based on the development of novel analytical approaches to gather new knowledge about mercury and selenium mechanisms in fish and humans. The project will be a critical contribution to establishing more realistic scenarios to estimate human health risk and benefits, but also to better capture the economic impacts on commercial fisheries. MERSFISH will build a lasting research network to answer emerging challenges in analytical chemistry, food safety, trophic transfer, fish nutrition and environmental and human health related to the global mercury issue.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisCoordinatorFrance
  • ADVANCED ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS · PauFrance
  • EUROPE FOR BUSINESS LTD · MANCHESTERUnited Kingdom
  • HAVFORSKNINGSINSTITUTTET · BergenNorway
  • INSTITUT JOZEF STEFAN · LjubljanaSlovenia
  • INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT · ParisFrance
  • MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS LTD · PORT LOUISMauritius
  • PS ANALYTICAL LIMITED · ORPINGTONUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID · MadridSpain
  • UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULO · SAO PAULO SPBrazil
  • UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO OESTE DO PARA · SantaremBrazil
  • Universidade Federal do Pará · BelémBrazil

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union