Elevated Hair Mercury Levels Are Associated With Neurodevelopmental Deficits in Children Living Near Artisanal and Small‐Scale Gold Mining in Peru

Reuben, Aaron; Frischtak, Helena; Berky, Axel; Ortiz, Ernesto; Morales, Ana; Hsu‐Kim, Heileen; Pendergast, Laura L.; Pan, William

doi:10.1029/2019gh000222

Cited by 40 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Studies have associated prenatal MeHg exposure with cognitive delays and mild mental retardation [6,54,55]. Reuben et al [56] observed loss of cognitive ability in ASGM mercury-exposed children in the Peruvian Amazon. In Brazil, Marques et al [57,58] identified psychomotor alterations and mental development problems in children from Rondônia state, in the Amazon region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Communities from Brazilian Amazon: Methodological Background and an Overview of the Principal Results

Basta

Viana

Vasconcellos

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The Amazonian indigenous peoples depend on natural resources to live, but human activities’ growing impacts threaten their health and livelihoods. Our objectives were to present the principal results of an integrated and multidisciplinary analysis of the health parameters and assess the mercury (Hg) exposure levels in indigenous populations in the Brazilian Amazon. We carried out a cross-sectional study based on a census of three Munduruku indigenous villages (Sawré Muybu, Poxo Muybu, and Sawré Aboy), located in the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Land, between 29 October and 9 November 2019. The investigation included: (i) sociodemographic characterization of the participants; (ii) health assessment; (iii) genetic polymorphism analysis; (iv) hair mercury determination; and (v) fish mercury determination. We used the logistic regression model with conditional Prevalence Ratio (PR), with the respective 95% confidence intervals (CI95%) to explore factors associated with mercury exposure levels ≥6.0 µg/g. A total of 200 participants were interviewed. Mercury levels (197 hair samples) ranged from 1.4 to 23.9 μg/g, with significant differences between the villages (Kruskal–Wallis test: 19.9; p-value < 0.001). On average, the general prevalence of Hg exposure ≥ 6.0 µg/g was 57.9%. For participants ≥12 years old, the Hg exposure ≥6.0 µg/g showed associated with no regular income (PR: 1.3; CI95%: 1.0–1.8), high blood pressure (PR: 1.6; CI95%: 1.3–2.1) and was more prominent in Sawré Aboy village (PR: 1.8; CI95%: 1.3–2.3). For women of childbearing age, the Hg exposure ≥6.0 µg/g was associated with high blood pressure (PR: 1.9; CI95%: 1.2–2.3), with pregnancy (PR: 1.5; CI95%: 1.0–2.1) and was more prominent among residents in Poxo Muybu (PR: 1.9; CI95%: 1.0–3.4) and Sawré Aboy (PR: 2.5; CI95%: 1.4–4.4) villages. Our findings suggest that chronic mercury exposure causes harmful effects to the studied indigenous communities, especially considering vulnerable groups of the population, such as women of childbearing age. Lastly, we propose to stop the illegal mining in these areas and develop a risk management plan that aims to ensure the health, livelihoods, and human rights of the indigenous people from Amazon Basin.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Communities from Brazilian Amazon: Methodological Background and an Overview of the Principal Results

Basta

Viana

Vasconcellos

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…The cohort studies conducted in the Faroe Islands and New Zealand indicate that even in low doses, the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish during pregnancy can cause important cognitive alterations in children [48,49]. The mercury neurotoxic potential effects in children and adults of the Amazon have been reported in recent publications [50][51][52][53][54]. The most common effects in children are cognitive problems, neurodevelopmental impairment, and psychomotor disorders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Risk Assessment of Mercury Exposure from Fish Consumption in Munduruku Indigenous Communities in the Brazilian Amazon

Vasconcellos

Hallwass²,

Bezerra³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Fish serves as the principal source of animal protein for the indigenous people of the Amazon, ensuring their food and nutritional security. However, gold mining causes mercury (Hg) contamination in fish, and consequently increases health risks associated with fish consumption. The aim of this study was to assess the health risk attributed to the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish by Munduruku indigenous communities in the Middle-Tapajós Region. Different fish species were collected in the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Land to determine mercury levels. The health risk assessment was carried out according to the World Health Organization (WHO 2008) methodology and different scenarios were built for counterfactual analysis. Eighty-eight fish specimens from 17 species and four trophic levels were analyzed. Estimates of Hg ingestion indicated that the methylmercury daily intake exceeds the U.S. EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) (2000) reference dose from 3 to 25-fold, and up to 11 times the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)/WHO (2003) dose recommendation. In all situations analyzed, the risk ratio estimates were above 1.0, meaning that the investigated Munduruku communities are at serious risk of harm as a result of ingestion of mercury-contaminated fish. These results indicate that, at present, fish consumption is not safe for this Munduruku population. This hazardous situation threatens the survival of this indigenous population, their food security, and their culture

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“…While economic differences may partially explain higher anemia prevalence in indigenous communities, additional efforts are needed to assess why anemia rates in indigenous communities remain higher than those in non-indigenous communities. Recent studies have shown indigenous communities to have significantly higher levels of mercury that often surpass World Health Organization's guidelines, and have been associated with lower hemoglobin levels [9,20,24]. Lack of effective medical access, poor nutrition, enteric disease or other unknown factors may also play a role.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data on anemia and hemoglobin levels collected prior to 2017 are from four studies by our team: the 2014 Interoceanic Highway and River studies ; the Amarakaeri Reserve Cohort study (2015 baseline and 2016 Follow Up ); and the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Mercury Exposure study in 2017 [9,[15][16][17][18][19][20]. The design of each of these studies varied slightly, but the data collection instruments were similar and every person living in an enrolled household was offered an anemia test using a Hemocue Hb201+ (HemoCue®), following the same protocols across studies-standardization at the start and midpoint of each study using control blood samples provided by the manufacturer.…”

Section: B Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Peruvian Government Interventions to Reduce Childhood Anemia

Berky

Robie

Ortiz

et al. 2020

Annals of Global Health

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Background: In Peru, anemia has been a persistent health problem that is known to lead to irreversible cognitive and developmental deficits in children. The Peruvian government has recently made anemia a primary health concern by passing legislation in 2017 that makes anemia an intersectoral priority. This new legislation fortifies previous programs while creating new programs that target specific age groups. Objectives: Evaluate the effectiveness of government programs in Madre de Dios, Peru to reduce anemia prevalence and increase hemoglobin levels among children ages 2-11 years old. Methods: Propensity scores are used to match 688 children enrolled in 2018, after the legislation, and 2,140 children enrolled in previous studies our team conducted in the region between 2014 and 2017, based on sex, age (years), intervention status (prior/post), community income, presence of a health post in the community (yes/no), community type (indigenous, non-indigenous rural, non-indigenous urban) and road access (fraction of the number of months out of the year with road access). A pseudo matched casecontrol analysis to evaluate changes in anemia prevalence and hemoglobin was conducted using t-tests and multivariate models. Program effectiveness is evaluated overall, by age groups (2-4, 5-7 and 8-11 years old), and community type (indigenous vs. urban). Findings: The adjusted odds ratio indicated lower odds of anemia (OR = 0.31, 95%CI 0.17-0.54) for children exposed to the anemia prevention programs vs. those not exposed. The effect was not significantly different across age groups; however, the intervention effects significantly differed by community type among children 8-11 years old, with urban children less likely to benefit from anemia interventions (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.38-1.25) compared to indigenous children (OR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.56). Conclusion: Government programs to reduce anemia in Madre de Dios were found to be associated with reduced anemia prevalence in the study communities. However, the lack of program monitoring precludes the attribution of anemia decline to specific interventions or program components. In addition, regional anemia prevalence remains high according to the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey, suggesting impaired population impact. Program monitoring and evaluation is a key component of health interventions to improve program implementation effectiveness.

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Elevated Hair Mercury Levels Are Associated With Neurodevelopmental Deficits in Children Living Near Artisanal and Small‐Scale Gold Mining in Peru

Cited by 40 publications

References 59 publications

Mercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Communities from Brazilian Amazon: Methodological Background and an Overview of the Principal Results

Mercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Communities from Brazilian Amazon: Methodological Background and an Overview of the Principal Results

Health Risk Assessment of Mercury Exposure from Fish Consumption in Munduruku Indigenous Communities in the Brazilian Amazon

Evaluation of Peruvian Government Interventions to Reduce Childhood Anemia

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