Global methylmercury exposure from seafood consumption and risk of developmental neurotoxicity: a systematic review

Sheehan, Mary C.; Burke, Thomas A.; Navas‐Acien, Ana; Breysse, Patrick N.; McGready, John; Fox, Mary A.

doi:10.2471/blt.12.116152

Cited by 238 publications

(144 citation statements)

References 186 publications

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“…Methylmercury is the most important mercury species in the environment where it is bioaccumulated in the muscle tissue of large, long-lived predatory fish, such as swordfish, shark and tuna; seafood is therefore the main source of exposure in humans [2]. While seafood provides nutrients essential for foetal development [4], elevated methylmercury exposure can cause developmental neurotoxicity and associated losses of IQ points [2]; the societal costs in the EU from an annual loss of more than 600,000 IQ points have been calculated to be about €8-9 billion per year [5]. Accordingly, public health interventions to limit methylmercury exposures should focus on avoidance of fish known to be high in mercury [6], while avoiding simplified advisories that may scare women from eating otherwise healthy seafood [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health benefits of hair-mercury analysis and dietary advice in lowering methylmercury exposure in pregnant women

Kirk

Jørgensen

Nielsen

et al. 2017

Scand J Public Health

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Shortened running title: Lowering mercury exposure in pregnant womenWord count: 3094 (excl. abstract and references) 2 AbstractAim: To evaluate whether a public health intervention using focused dietary advice combined with a hair-mercury analysis can lower neurotoxic methylmercury exposure among pregnant women, without decreasing overall seafood intake. Methods: At the antenatal clinic at a Danish university hospital, a total of 146 pregnant women were consecutively recruited at the initial ultrasound scan.Dietary advice was provided on avoiding methylmercury exposures from large, predatory fish, and a hair sample from each participant was analysed for mercury, with the results being communicated shortly thereafter to the women. A dietary questionnaire was filled in. Follow-up three months later included a dietary questionnaire and a repeat hair-mercury analysis. Results: In the follow-up group, 22 percent had hair-mercury concentrations above a safe limit of 0.58 µg/g at enrolment, decreasing to 8 percent three months later. Average hair-mercury concentrations decreased by 21 percent. However, total seafood intake remained at the same level after three months. Conclusions: Elevated exposure to methylmercury among pregnant women is an important public health concern in Denmark. The observed lowering of hair-mercury concentrations associated with dietary advice corresponds to a substantial public health benefit that likely makes such intervention highly profitable.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health benefits of hair-mercury analysis and dietary advice in lowering methylmercury exposure in pregnant women

Kirk

Jørgensen

Nielsen

et al. 2017

Scand J Public Health

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“…People are then exposed to MeHg by eating contaminated fish. Effects of MeHg exposure include IQ deficits in prenatally exposed children (6)(7)(8) and may include cardiovascular effects in adults (7,9). Scientific uncertainty and variability are substantial throughout this pathway, including but not limited to atmospheric chemistry, deposition patterns, methylation processes, bioaccumulation and food web dynamics, dietary patterns of exposure, and dose-response relationships.…”

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confidence: 99%

Benefits of mercury controls for the United States

Giang

Selin

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

131

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Mercury pollution poses risks for both human and ecosystem health. As a consequence, controlling mercury pollution has become a policy goal on both global and national scales. We developed an assessment method linking global-scale atmospheric chemical transport modeling to regional-scale economic modeling to consistently evaluate the potential benefits to the United States of global (UN Minamata Convention on Mercury) and domestic [Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)] policies, framed as economic gains from avoiding mercury-related adverse health endpoints. This method attempts to trace the policies-to-impacts path while taking into account uncertainties and knowledge gaps with policy-appropriate bounding assumptions. We project that cumulative lifetime benefits from the Minamata Convention for individuals affected by 2050 are $339 billion (2005 USD), with a range from $1.4 billion to $575 billion in our sensitivity scenarios. Cumulative economy-wide benefits to the United States, realized by 2050, are $104 billion, with a range from $6 million to $171 billion. Projected Minamata benefits are more than twice those projected from the domestic policy. This relative benefit is robust to several uncertainties and variabilities, with the ratio of benefits (Minamata/MATS) ranging from ≈1.4 to 3. However, we find that for those consuming locally caught freshwater fish from the United States, rather than marine and estuarine fish from the global market, benefits are larger from US than global action, suggesting domestic policies are important for protecting these populations. Per megagram of prevented emissions, our domestic policy scenario results in US benefits about an order of magnitude higher than from our global scenario, further highlighting the importance of domestic action. mercury | policy | impacts assessment | Minamata Convention | economic benefits

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“…However, there are still threats to food security due to the spread of hazardous substances in the marine environment, such as mercury and dioxins, which remains a matter of concern for health reasons (e.g. Sheehan et al, 2014). Plastic is an increasing challenge; it is harmful to seabirds that pick plastics from the sea surface such as fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis; Trevail et al, 2015).…”

Section: Food Securitymentioning

confidence: 99%