EN
The aim of the present work was to evaluate the mercury content in hair of inhabitants of Wrocław, in southwestern Poland. On the basis of a questionnaire and analysis of hair by atomic absorption spectroscopy, it was possible to indicate the sources of mercury exposure. The mean mercury level in hair of the whole population (n=321) was 0.203±0.181 mg·kg⁻¹. The content of mercury in hair of subjects who consumed fish exceeded the upper limit of reference value, which was 0.397 mg·kg⁻¹. Subjects who declared consumption of fish, honey, and mouldy cheese, contained statistically more mercury: 60.5%, 35.4%, and 37.8%, respectively, than those who did not eat these types of food. It was noticed that there was no effect from the place of residence, the presence of pollution emitters, gender, age, weight, height, presence of amalgam fillings, hair dyeing, and smoking cigarettes on mercury content in hair.