Prenatal methylmercury exposure from ocean fish consumption in the Seychelles child development study

Myers, Gary J.; Davidson, Philip W.; Cox, Christopher; Shamlaye, Conrad; Palumbo, Donna; Cernichiari, Elsa; Sloane-Reeves, Jean; Wilding, Gregory E.; Kost, James; Huang, Li‐Shan; Clarkson, Thomas W.

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(03)13371-5

“…In contrast to the Faroe Islands study, the investigation in the Seychelles did not find evidence of methylmercury-related adverse effects on the neurobehavioural development of children through nine years of age (Myers et al, 2003). In some instances, prenatal mercury exposure was actually associated with precocious behaviour, and important developmental milestones were reached more quickly in the most highly exposed subjects.…”

Section: ) Methylmercurycontrasting

confidence: 66%

Expressing urine from a gel disposable diaper for biomonitoring using phthalates as an example

Liu

¹

,

Xia

²

,

Guo

³

et al. 2012

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The urinary metabolites of phthalates are well-accepted exposure biomarkers for adults and children older than 6 years but are not commonly used for infants owing to non-convenient sampling. In the light of this situation, a novel sampling method based on monitoring the urine expressed from the gel diaper was developed. The urine was expressed from the gel absorbent after mixing the absorbent with CaCl2 and then collected by a laboratory-made device; the urinary phthalate metabolites were extracted and cleaned using a solid-phase extraction (SPE) column and analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry / mass spectrometry. To evaluate the method's feasibility, the following factors were investigated: the proportion of CaCl2 to gel absorbent, the urination volume variation and the target compounds' deposition bias in the diaper, the matrix blank of the different diaper brands, the storage stabilities and the recoveries of creatinine and phthalate metabolites in the expressed urine. Mono-methyl phthalate, mono-ethyl phthalate, mono-butyl phthalate, mono-benzyl phthalate, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate were involved. 70-80% of the urine can be expressed from the diaper, and the expressed spiking recoveries and the limit of detection of mono-phthalates ranged from 88.5-115% and 0.21-0.50 ng/ml. The method was applied to measure phthalate metabolites in 65 gel diaper samples from 15 infants, and the pilot data suggests the infants are commonly exposed to phthalates. In summary, the method for monitoring of infant exposure to phthalates is sound and validated, and the potential health effects from the vulnerable infants' exposure to phthalates should be concerned.39th Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars (SRF for ROCS); Hundred Talent Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams [KZCX2-YW-T08

show abstract

“…However, the two studies are not contradictory, because the Seychelles study cannot exclude an effect at the magnitude observed at the Faroes [24]. In addition, the mercury effect was assessed only from analyses of maternal hair collected six months after parturition and after adjustment for the child's postnatal mercury exposure [27]. Joint analyses based on three major prospective studies are in excellent agreement with the findings in the Faroes [23,28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Impact of prenatal methylmercury exposure on neurobehavioral function at age 14 years

Debes

¹

,

Budtz‐Jørgensen

²

,

Weihe

³

et al. 2006

Neurotoxicology and Teratology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A cohort of 1022 consecutive singleton births was generated during [1987][1988] in the Faroe Islands, where increased methylmercury exposure occurs from traditional seafood diets that include pilot whale meat. The prenatal exposure level was determined from mercury analyses of cord blood, cord tissue, and maternal hair. At age 14 years, 878 of 1010 living cohort members underwent detailed neurobehavioral examination. Eighteen participants with neurological disorders were excluded. Blood and hair samples obtained from the participants were analyzed for mercury. The neuropsychological test battery was designed based on the same criteria as applied at the examination at age 7 years. Multiple regression analysis was carried out and included adjustment for confounders. Indicators of prenatal methylmercury exposure were significantly associated with deficits in finger tapping speed, reaction time on a continued performance task, and cued naming. Postnatal methylmercury exposure had no discernible effect. These findings are similar to those obtained at age 7 years, and the relative contribution of mercury exposure to the predictive power of the multiple regression models was also similar. An analysis of the test score difference between results at 7 and 14 years suggested that mercury-associated deficits had not changed between the two examinations. In structural equation model analyses, the neuropsychological tests were separated into five groups; methylmercury exposure was significantly associated with deficits in motor, attention, and verbal tests. These findings are supported by independent assessment of neurophysiological outcomes. The effects on brain function associated with prenatal methylmercury exposure therefore appear to be multi-focal and permanent.

show abstract

“…One previous study carried out in the Seychelles [27] found no significant association between prenatal methylmercury and performance on neurobehavioral tests at age 8 years. However, the two studies are not contradictory, because the Seychelles study cannot exclude an effect at the magnitude observed at the Faroes [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Impact of prenatal methylmercury exposure on neurobehavioral function at age 14 years

Debes¹,

Budtz‐Jørgensen²,

Weihe³

et al. 2006

Neurotoxicology and Teratology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A cohort of 1022 consecutive singleton births was generated during [1987][1988] in the Faroe Islands, where increased methylmercury exposure occurs from traditional seafood diets that include pilot whale meat. The prenatal exposure level was determined from mercury analyses of cord blood, cord tissue, and maternal hair. At age 14 years, 878 of 1010 living cohort members underwent detailed neurobehavioral examination. Eighteen participants with neurological disorders were excluded. Blood and hair samples obtained from the participants were analyzed for mercury. The neuropsychological test battery was designed based on the same criteria as applied at the examination at age 7 years. Multiple regression analysis was carried out and included adjustment for confounders. Indicators of prenatal methylmercury exposure were significantly associated with deficits in finger tapping speed, reaction time on a continued performance task, and cued naming. Postnatal methylmercury exposure had no discernible effect. These findings are similar to those obtained at age 7 years, and the relative contribution of mercury exposure to the predictive power of the multiple regression models was also similar. An analysis of the test score difference between results at 7 and 14 years suggested that mercury-associated deficits had not changed between the two examinations. In structural equation model analyses, the neuropsychological tests were separated into five groups; methylmercury exposure was significantly associated with deficits in motor, attention, and verbal tests. These findings are supported by independent assessment of neurophysiological outcomes. The effects on brain function associated with prenatal methylmercury exposure therefore appear to be multi-focal and permanent.

show abstract

Prenatal methylmercury exposure from ocean fish consumption in the Seychelles child development study

Cited by 543 publications

References 15 publications

Expressing urine from a gel disposable diaper for biomonitoring using phthalates as an example

Expressing urine from a gel disposable diaper for biomonitoring using phthalates as an example

Impact of prenatal methylmercury exposure on neurobehavioral function at age 14 years

Impact of prenatal methylmercury exposure on neurobehavioral function at age 14 years

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About