Prenatal methylmercury exposure and children: Neurologic, developmental, and behavioral research

Environmental Health Perspectives

Volumn 106, Issue SUPPL. 3, 1998, Pages 841-847

  Myers, Gary J ^a,b   Davidson, Philip W ^b  

^a Departments of Neurology   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY   (United States)

Author keywords

Child development; Fetal exposure; Fish; Mercury; Methylmercury; Neurodevelopment; Seychelles

Indexed keywords

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL; INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL; MERCURY; METHYLMERCURY;

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT; BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE; BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER; CEREBRAL PALSY; CONFERENCE PAPER; EATING HABIT; ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE; FAROE ISLANDS; FETUS; FETUS RISK; FISH; FOOD CHAIN; HUMAN; LONGITUDINAL STUDY; MENTAL DEFICIENCY; MERCURIALISM; NERVOUS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT; NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATION; NEUROPHYSIOLOGY; NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST; NEUROTOXICITY; PLACENTA; PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT; PRENATAL EXPOSURE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PSYCHOLOGIC TEST; SCREENING; SEA FOOD; SEYCHELLES; UNITED STATES; WHALE;

EID: 0031858703     PISSN: 00916765     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1289/ehp.98106841     Document Type: Conference Paper

References (54)

1. WHO. Methylmercury. Vol 101. Geneva:World Health Organization, 1990.
2. Harada Y. Congenital (or fetal) Minamata disease. In: Minamata Disease (Study Group of Minamata Disease, ed). Japan:Kumamoto University, 1968;93-117.
3. Marsh DO, Clarkson TW, Cox C, Myers GJ, Amin-Zaki L, Al-Tikriti S. Fetal methylmercury poisoning. Relationship between concentration in single strands of maternal hair and child effects. Arch Neurol 44:1017-1022 (1987).
4. Engleson G, Herner T. Alkyl mercury poisoning. Acta Paediatr Scand 441:289-294 (1952).
5. Snyder RD. Congenital mercury poisoning. N Engl J Med 284:1014-1016 (1971).
6. Takeuchi T, Morikawa N, Matsumoto H, Shiraishi Y. A pathological study of Minamata disease in Japan. Acta Neuropathol 2:40-57 (1962).
7. Tsubaki T, Irukayama K, eds. Minamata Disease. Methylmercury Poisoning in Minamata and Niigata, Japan. Tokyo:Kodansha Ltd, 1977;57-95.
8. Cox C, Clarkson TW, Marsh DO, Amin-Zaki L, Tikriti S, Myers GJ. Dose-response analysis of infants prenatally exposed to methylmercury: an application of a single compartment model to single-strand hair analysis. Environ Res 49:318-332 (1989).
9. Turner MD, Marsh DO, Smith JC, Clarkson TW, Inglis JB, Rubino EC, Chiriboga J, Chiriboga CC. Methylmercury in populations eating large quantities of marine fish. Arch Environ Health 35:367-378 (1980).
10. Kjellstrom T, Kennedy P, Wallis S, Mantell C. Physical and Mental Development of Children with Prenatal Exposure to Mercury from Fish. Stage 1: Preliminary Tests at Age 4. NSEB Rpt 13080. Solna, Sweden:National Swedish Environmental Board, 1986.
11. Kjellstrom T, Kennedy P, Wallis S, Stewart A, Friberg L, Lind B, Witherspoon P, Mantell C. Physical and Mental Development of Children with Prenatal Exposure to Mercury from Fish. Stage 2: Interviews and Psychological Tests at Age 6. NSEB Rpt 3642. Solna, Sweden:National Swedish Environmental Board, 1989.
12. McKeown-Eyssen GE, Ruedy J, Neims A. Methyl mercury exposure in northern Quebec. II: Neurologic findings in children. Am J Epidemiol 118:470-479 (1983).
13. Dahl R, White RF, Weihe P, Sorensen N, Letz R, Hudnell HK, Otto DA, Grandjean P. Feasibility and validity of three computer-assisted neurobehavioral tests in 7-year-old children. Neurotoxicol Teratol 18:413-419 (1996).
14. Grandjean P, Weihe P, White RF, Debes F, Araki S, Yokoyama K, Murata K, Sorensen N, Dahl R, Jorgensen PJ. Cognitive deficit in 7-year-old children with prenatal exposure to methylmercury. Neurotoxicol Teratol 19:417-428 (1997).
15. Marsh DO, Turner MD, Smith JC, Allen P, Richdale N. Fetal methylmercury study in a Peruvian fish-eating population. Neurotoxicology 16:717-726 (1995).
16. Myers GJ, Marsh DO, Cox C, Davidson PW, Shamlaye CF, Tanner MA, Choi A, Cernichiari E, Choisy O, Clarkson TW. A pilot neurodevelopmental study of Seychellois children following in utero exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish diet. Neurotoxicology 16:629-638 (1995).
17. Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Tanner MA, Choisy O, Sloane-Reeves J, Marsh DO, Cernichiari E, Choi A, et al. Neurodevelopmental outcomes of Seychellois children sixty-six months after in utero exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish diet: pilot study. Neurotoxicology 16:639-652 (1995).
18. Myers GJ, Marsh DO, Davidson PW, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Tanner MA, Choi A, Cernichiari E, Choisy O, Clarkson TW. Main neurodevelopmental study of Seychellois children following in utero exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish diet: outcome at six months. Neurotoxicology 16:653-664 (1995).
19. Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Marsh DO, Tanner MA, Berlin M, Sloane-Reeves J, Cernichiari E, Choisy O, et al. Longitudinal neurodevelopmental study of Seychellois children following in utero exposure to methylmercury from maternal fish ingestion: outcomes at 19 and 29 months. Neurotoxicology 16:677-688 (1995).
20. Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Shamlaye CF, Axtell CD, Cernichiari E, Choisy O, Choi A, Cox C, Clarkson TW. Effects of prenatal methylmercury exposure from a high fish diet on developmental milestones in the Seychelles Child Development Study. Neurotoxicology 18:819-830 (1997).
21. WHO. Inorganic Mercury. Vol 118. Geneva:World Health Organization, 1991.
22. Wheatley B, Paradis S. Exposure of Canadian aboriginal peoples to methylmercury. Water Air Soil Pollut 80:3-11 (1995).
23. Matthews AD. Mercury content of commercially important fish of the Seychelles, and hair mercury levels of a selected part of the population. Environ Res 30:305-312 (1983).
24. Julshamn K, Andersen A, Ringdal O, Morkore J. Trace elements intake in the Faroe Islands I. Element levels in edible parts of pilot whales (Globicephalus meleanus). Sci Total Environ 65:53-62 (1987).
25. Swedish Expert Group. Methylmercury in fish. A toxicological-epidemiological evaluation of risks. Nord Hyg Tidskr Suppl 4:19-364 (1971).
26. Shephard DAE. Methyl mercury poisoning in Canada. Can Med Assoc J 114:110-114 (1976).
27. Amin-Zaki L, Elhassani S, Mohammed MA, Clarkson TW, Doherty RA, Greenwood MR, Giovanoli-Jakubczak T. Perinatal methylmercury poisoning in Iraq. Am J Dis Child 130:1070-1076 (1976).
28. Takeuchi T. Pathology of Minamata disease. In: Minamata Disease (Study Group of Minamata Disease, ed). Japan: Kumamoto University, 1968;141-228.
29. Choi BH, Lapham LW, Amin-Zaki L, Saleem T. Abnormal neuronal migration, deranged cerebral cortical organization and diffuse white matter astrocytosis of human fetal brain: a major effect of methylmercury poisoning in utero. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 37:719-733 (1978).
30. Sager PR, Aschner M, Rodier PM. Persistent, differential alterations in developing cerebellar cortex of male and female mice after methylmercury exposure. Dev Brain Res 12:1-11 (1984)
31. Burbacher TM, Rodier PM, Weiss B. Methylmercury developmental neurotoxicity: a comparison of effects in humans and animals. Neurotoxicol Teratol 12:191-202 (1990).
32. Lapham LW, Cernichiari E, Cox C, Myers GJ, Baggs RB, Brewer R, Shamlaye CF, Davidson PW, Clarkson TW. An analysis of autopsy brain tissue from infants prenatally exposed to methylmercury. Neurotoxicology 16:689-704 (1995).
33. Kershaw TG, Clarkson TW, Dhahir PH. The relationship between blood levels and dose of methylmercury in man. Arch Environ Health 35:28-36 (1980).
34. Clarkson TW. Environmental contaminants in the food chain. Am J Clin Nutr 61(Suppl):682S-686S (1995)
35. Cernichiari E, Toribara TY, Liang L, Marsh DO, Berlin M, Myers GJ, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Choisy O, Davidson P, et al. The biological monitoring of mercury in the Seychelles study. Neurotoxicology 16:613-628 (1995).
36. Cernichiari E, Brewer R, Myers GJ, Marsh DO, Lapham LW, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Berlin M, Davidson PW, Clarkson TW. Monitoring methylmercury during pregnancy: maternal hair predicts fetal brain exposure. Neurotoxicology 16:705-710 (1995).
37. Hunter D, Bomford RR, Russell DS. Poisoning by methyl mercury compounds. Q J Med 9:193-213 (1940).
38. Bakir F, Damluji SF, Amin-Zaki L, Murtadha M, Khalidi A, Al-Rawi NY, Tikriti S, Dahir HI, Clarkson TW, Smith JC, Doherty RA. Methylmercury poisoning in Iraq. Science 181:230-241 (1973).
39. Harada M. Intrauterine poisoning clinical and epidemiological studies and significance of the problem. Bull Inst Constitutional Med (Kumamoto University) 25(Suppl):1-59 (1976).
40. Cox C, Marsh DO, Myers GJ, Clarkson TW. Analysis of data on delayed development from the 1971-72 outbreak of methylmercury poisoning in Iraq: assessment of influential points. Neurotoxicology 16:727-730 (1995).
41. Crump K, Viren J, Silvers A, Clewell H, Gearhart J, Shipp A. Reanalysis of dose-response data from the Iraqi methylmercury poisoning episode. Risk Anal 15:523-532 (1995).
42. Dodge PR, Volpe JJ. Neurologic history and examination. In: Pediatric Neurology. 3rd ed (Farmer TW, ed). Philadelphia:Harper & Row, 1983;1-42.
43. Lier L, Michelsen N. Fumlere og tumlere. Publikation 10. Copenhagen:Copenhagen University, 1984 (in Danish).
44. Grandjean P, Weihe P, White RF. Milestone development in infants exposed to methylmercury from human milk. Neurotoxicology 16:27-33 (1995).
45. Rice DC, Gilbert SG. Early chronic low-level methylmercury poisoning in monkeys impairs spatial vision. Science 216:759-761 (1982).
46. Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Cox C, Shamlaye C, Sloane-Reeves J, Cernichiari E, Marsh DO, Clarkson TW, Tanner MA. Measuring neurodevelopmental outcomes of young children following prenatal dietary low-dose methylmercury exposures. Environ Sci 3:55-65 (1994).
47. Gunderson VM, Grant KS, Burbacher TM, Fagan JF, Mottet NK. The effect of low-level prenatal methylmercury exposure on visual recognition memory in infant crab-eating Macaques. Child Dev 57:1076-1083 (1986).
48. Gunderson VM, Grant-Webster KS, Burbacher TM, Mottet NK. Visual recognition memory deficits in methylmercury-exposed Macaca fasicularis infants. Neurotoxicol Teratol 10:373-379 (1988).
49. Clarkson T, Cox C, Davidson PW, Myers GJ. Mercury in fish. Science 279:459-460 (1998).
50. Egeland GM, Middaugh JP. Balancing fish consumption benefits with mercury exposure. Science 278:1904-1905 (1997).
51. Shamlaye CF, Marsh DO, Myers GJ, Cox C, Davidson PW, Choisy O, Cernichiari E, Choi A, Tanner MA, Clarkson TW. The Seychelles child development study on neurodevelopmental outcomes in children following in utero exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish diet: background and demographics. Neurotoxicology 16:597-613 (1995)
52. Wheatley B, Paradis S. Balancing human exposure, risk and reality: questions raised by the Canadian aboriginal methylmercury program. Neurotoxicology 17:241-250 (1996).
53. Daviglus ML, Stamler J, Orencia AJ, Dyer AR, Liu K, Greenland P, Walsh MK, Morris D, Shekelle RB. Fish consumption and the 30-year risk of fatal myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 336:1046-1053 (1997).
54. Kromhout D, Bosschieter EB, Coulander CL. The inverse relation between fish consumption and 20-year mortality from coronary heart disease. N Engl J Med 312:1205-1209 (1985).