The association of total blood mercury levels and overweight among Korean adolescents: analysis of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010–2013

PurposeObesity has been associated with higher total blood mercury levels, based on animal studies; however, studies that focus on children and adolescents are lacking. We aimed to assess the association between total blood mercury levels and the incidence of overweight and abdominal obesity in Korean adolescents.MethodsThe study population comprised 1,567 adolescents (793 boys and 774 girls; aged 10–19 years), who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2013. We analyzed total blood mercury levels according to obesity status in all participants.ResultsThe geometric mean of total blood mercury levels was 1.93 µg/L. Participants with overweight (2.20 µg/L) and obesity (2.17 µg/L) had higher levels than those with normal weight (1.86 µg/L, P