Methylmercury: A model neurotoxicant and risk assessment dilemma

Human Developmental Neurotoxicology

Volumn , Issue , 2006, Pages 1-23

  Weiss, Bernard ^a  

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

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 33645548980     PISSN: None     EISSN: None     Source Type: Book    
DOI: None     Document Type: Chapter

References (111)

1. Hunter D. The Diseases of Occupations. Boston: Little, Brown, 1969.
2. Weiss B. Perspectives on methylmercury as a global health hazard. Neurotoxicology 1995; 16:577-578.
3. Miller MW, Berg GG, eds. Chemical Fallout. Springfield, IL: CC Thomas, 1969.
4. Jensen S, Jernelov A. Biological methylation of mercury in aquatic organisms. Nature 1969; 223:753-754.
5. Carson R. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962.
6. Bakir F, Damluji SF, Amin-Zaki L, et al. Methylmercury poisoning in Iraq. Science 1973; 181:230-241.
7. Smith WE, Smith AM. Minamata. Austin, TX: Rinehart and Winston, 1975.
8. Eto K, Yasutake A, Nakano A, Akagi H, Tokunaga H, Kojima T. Reappraisal of the historic 1959 cat experiment in Minamata by the Chisso Factory. Tohoku J Exp Med 2001; 194:197-203.
9. Eto K. Minamata disease. Neuropathology 2000; 20:S14-S19.
10. Harada Y. Congenital Minamata disease. In: Tsubaki R, Irukayama K, eds. Minamata disease: Methyl mercury poisoning in Minamata and Niigata. Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha, 1977:209-239.
11. Saito H, Sekikawa T, Taguchi J, et al. Prenatal and postnatal methyl mercury exposure in Niigata, Japan: adult outcomes. Seychelles Med Dent J 2004; 7:138-146.
12. Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Cox C, Shamlaye C, Cernichiari E, Clarkson TW. Twenty-seven years studying the human neurotoxicity of methylmercury exposure. Environ Res 2000; 83:275-285.
13. Cox C, Clarkson TW, Marsh DO, Amin-Zaki L, Tikriti S, Myers GG. Dose-response analysis of infants prenatally exposed to methyl mercury: an application of a single compartment model to single-strand hair analysis. Environ Res 1989; 49:318-332.
14. Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Weiss B. Mercury exposure and child development outcomes. Pediatrics 2004; 113:1023-1029.
15. Spyker JM. Behavioral teratology and toxicology. In: Weiss B, Laties VG, eds. Behavioral Toxicology. New York: Plenum Press, 1975:311-349.
16. Watanabe C, Satoh H. Evolution of our understanding of methylmercury as a health threat. Environ Health Perspect 1996; 104:367-379.
17. Choi BH, Lapham LW, Amin-Zaki L, Saleem T. Abnormal neuronal migration, deranged cerebral cortical organization. and diffuse white matter astrocytosis of fetal human brain: a major effect of methylmercury poisoning in utero. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 1978; 37:719-733.
18. Sager PR, Aschner M, Rodier PM. Persistent, differential alterations in developing cerebellar cortex of male and female mice after methylmercury exposure. Brain Res 1984; 314:1-11.
19. Rodier PM, Aschner M, Sager PR. Mitotic arrest in the developing CNS after prenatal exposure to methylmercury. Neurobehav Toxicol Teratol 1984; 6:379-385.
20. Choi BH. The effects of methylmercury on the developing brain. Prog Neurobiol 1989; 32:447-470.
21. Cordier S, Garel M, Mandereau L, Morcel H, Doineau P, Gosme-Seguret S, et al. Neurodevelopmental investigations among methylmercury-exposed children in French Guiana. Environ Res 2002; 89:1-11.
22. Dolbec J, Mergler D, Passos CJS, de Morais SS, Lebel J. Methylmercury exposure affects motor performance of a riverine population of the Tapajos river, Brazilian Amazon. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2000; 73:195-203.
23. 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. Solna, Sweden: National Swedish Environmental Board Report No. 3080, 1986.
24. Kjellstrom T, Kennedy P, Wallis S, et al. Physical and mental development of children with prenatal exposure to mercury from fish. Stage 2. Interviews and psychological tests at age 6. Solna, Sweden: National Swedish Environmental Board Report No. 3642, 1989.
25. Lebel J, Mergler D, Branches F, et al. Neurotoxic effects of low-level methylmercury contamination in the Amazonian Basin. Environ Res 1998; 79:20-32.
26. McKeown-Eyssen GE, Ruedy J, Neims A. Methyl mercury exposure in northern Quebec. II. Neurologic findings in children. Am J Epidemiol 1983; 118:470-179.
27. Ramirez GB, Pagulayan O, Akagi H, et al. Tagum study II: Follow-up study at two years of age after prenatal exposure to mercury. Pediatrics 2003; 111:e289-e295.
28. McDowell MA, Dillon CF, Osterloh J, et al. Hair mercury levels in U.S. children and women of childbearing age: reference range data from NHANES 1999-2000. Environ Health Perspect 2004; 112:1165-1171.
29. Rice DC. The US EPA reference dose for methylmercury: sources of uncertainty. Environ Res 2004; 95:406-413.
30. Stern AH, Smith AE. An assessment of the cord blood:maternal blood methylmercury ratio: implications for risk assessment. Environ Health Perspect 2003; 111:1465-1670.
31. Cernichiari E, Brewer R, Myers GJ, et al. Monitoring methylmercury during pregnancy: maternal hair predicts fetal brain exposure. Neurotoxicology 1995; 16:705-710.
32. Mahaffey KR, Clickner RP, Bodurow CC. Blood organic mercury and dietary mercury intake: national health and nutrition examination survey, 1999 and 2000. Environ Health Perspect 2004; 112:562-570.
33. Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Cox C, et al. Prenatal methylmercury exposure from ocean fish consumption in the Seychelles child development study. Lancet 2003; 361:1686-1692.
34. Grandjean P, Weihe P, White RF, et al. Cognitive deficit in 7-years-old children with prenatal exposure to methylmercury. Neurotoxicol Teratol 1997; 19:417-428.
35. National Research Council. Committee on the Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury. Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000.
36. Crump KS, Van Landingham C, Shamlaye C, et al. Benchmark concentrations for methylmercury obtained from the Seychelles Child Development Study. Environ Health Perspect 2000; 108:257-263.
37. U.S. EPA. Mercury Report to Congress, Volume VI: Characterization of Human Health and Wildlife Risks from Anthropogenic Mercury Emissions in the United States. EPA-452/R-97-001f. Washington, DC:U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997.
38. Vahter M, Mottet NK, Friberg L, Lind B, Shen DD, Burbacher T. Speciation of mercury in the primate blood and brain following long-term exposure to methyl mercury. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1994; 124:221-229.
39. Evans HL, Garman RH, Weiss B. Methylmercury: exposure duration and regional distribution as determinants of neurtoxicity in nonhuman primates. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1977; 41:15-33.
40. Rice DC. Brain and tissue levels of mercury after chronic methylmercury exposure in the monkey. Toxicol Environ Health 1989; 27:189-198.
41. Stinson CH, Shen DM, Burbacher TM, Mohamed MK, Mottet NK. Kinetics of methyl mercury in blood and brain during chronic exposure in the monkey Macaca fascicularis. Pharmacol Toxicol 1989; 65:223-230.
42. Lapham LW, Cernichiari E, Cox C, et al. An analysis of autopsy brain tissue from infants prenatally exposed to methymercury. Neurotoxicology 1995; 16:689-704.
43. Burbacher TM, Rodier PM, Weiss B. Methylmercury developmental neurotoxicity: a comparison of effects in humans and animals. Neurotoxicol Teratol 1990; 2:191-202.
44. Calabrese EJ, Baldwin LA. Hormesis: the dose-response revolution. Ann Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2003; 43:175-197.
45. Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Cox C, et al. Effects of prenatal and postnatal methylmercury exposure from fish consumption on neurodevelopment: outcomes at 66 months of age in the Seychelles Child Development Study. JAMA 1998; 280:701-707.
46. Hurley LS. The roles of trace elements in foetal and neonatal development. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 1981; 294:145-152.
47. Tran TT, Chowanadisai W, Crinella FM, Chicz-DeMet A, Lonnerdal B. Effect of high dietary manganese intake of neonatal rats on tissue mineral accumulation, striatal dopamine levels, and neurodevelopmental status. Neurotoxicology 2002; 23:635-643.
48. Zeisel SH. Choline: needed for normal development of memory. J Am Coll Nutr 2000; 19:528S-531S.
49. Meck WH, Williams CL. Simultaneous temporal processing is sensitive to prenatal choline availability in mature and aged rats. Neuroreport 1997; 8:3045-3051.
50. Richardson AJ. Clinical trials of fatty acid treatment in ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and the autistic spectrum. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2004; 70:383-390.
51. Weiss B, Amler S, Amler RW. Pesticides. Pediatrics 2004; 113:1030-1036.
52. Hites RA, Foran JA, Carpenter DO, Hamilton MC, Knuth BA, Schwager SJ. Global assessment of organic contaminants in farmed salmon. Science 2004; 303:226-229.
53. Broadhurst CL, Wang Y, Crawford MA, Cunnane SC, Parkington JE, Schmidt WF. Brain-specific lipids from marine, lacustrine, or terrestrial food resources: potential impact on early African Homo sapiens. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2002; 131:653-673.
54. Fangstrom B, Athanasiadou M, Grandjean P, Weihe P, Bergman A. Hydroxylated PCB metabolites and PCBs in serum from pregnant Faroese women. Environ Health Perspect 2002; 110:895-899.
55. Grandjean P, Weihe P, Burse VW, et al. Neurobehavioral deficits associated with PCB in 7-years-old children prenatally exposed to seafood neurotoxicants. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2001; 23:305-317.
56. Newland MC. Neurobehavioral toxicity of methylmercury and PCBs: Effects-profile and sensitive populations. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2002; 12:119-128.
57. Stewart PW, Reihman J, Lonky EI, Darvill TJ, Pagano J. Cognitive development in preschool children prenatally exposed to PCBs and MeHg. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2003; 25:11-22.
58. Grandjean P, Budtz-Jorgensen E, Steuerwald U, et al. Attenuated growth of breast-fed children exposed to increased concentrations of methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. FASEB J 2003; 17:699-701.
59. Bellinger DC. Effect modification in epidemiologic studies of low-level neurotoxicant exposures and health outcomes. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2000; 22:133-140.
60. Riley DM, Newby CA, Leal-Almeraz TO, Thomas VM. Assessing elemental mercury vapor exposure from cultural and religious practices. Environ Health Perspect 2001; 109:779-784.
61. U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Mercury poisoning associated with beauty cream-Texas, New Mexico, and California, 1995-1996. Morbidity Mortality Weekly 1996; 45:400-403.
62. Berlin M. Mercury in dental amalgam: a risk analysis. Seychelles Med Dent J 2004; 7:154-158.
63. Drasch G, Schupp I, Hofl H, Reinke R, Roider G. Mercury burden of human fetal and infant tissues. Eur J Pediat 1994; 153:607-610.
64. Bjornberg KA, VahterM, Petersson-Grawe K, et al. Methyl mercury and inorganic mercury in Swedish pregnant women and in cord blood: influence of fish consumption. Environ Health Perspect 2003; 111:637-641.
65. Salvolini E, Di Giorgio R, Curatola A, Mazzanti L, Fratto G. Biochemical modifications of human whole saliva induced by pregnancy. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1998; 105:656-660.
66. Clarkson TW. The pharmacology of mercury compounds. Ann Rev Pharmacol 1972; 12:375-406.
67. Clarkson TW, Friberg L, Hursh JB, Nylander M. The prediction of mercury intake from amalgams. In: Clarkson TW, Friberg L, Nordberg FG, Sager PR, eds. Biological Monitoring of Toxic Meals. New York: Plenum Press, 1988:246-260.
68. Clarkson TW. The three modern faces of mercury. Environ Health Perspect 2002; 110:11-23.
69. Goering PL, Galloway WD, Clarkson TW, Lorscheider FL, Berlin M, Rowland AS. Toxicity assessment of mercury vapor from dental amalgams. Fundam Appl Toxicol 1992; 19:319-329.
70. Weiss B, Clarkson TW. Mercury toxicity in children. In: Chemical and Radiation Hazards to Children. Ross Pediatric Conferences, 1982:52-58.
71. Warkany J, Hubbard DM. Adverse mercurial reactions in the form of acrodynia and related conditions. Am J Dis Child 1951; 81:335-373.
72. Curtis HA, Ferguson SD, Kell RL, Samuel AH. Mercury as a health hazard. Arch Dis Child 1987; 62:293-295.
73. Warfvinge K. Mercury distribution in the neonatal and adult cerebellum after mercury vapor exposure of pregnant squirrel monkeys. Environ Res 2000; 83:93-101.
74. World Heath Organization. Environmental Health Criteria 101, Methylmercury. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 1990.
75. Vahter M, Akesson A, Lind B, Bjors U, Schutz A, Berglund M. Longitudinal study of methylmercury and inorganic mercury in blood and urine of pregnant and lactating women, as well as in umbilical cord blood. Environ Res 2000; 84:186-194.
76. Schober SE, Sinks TH, Jones RL, et al. Blood mercury levels in US children and women of childbearing age, 1999-2000. JAMA 2003; 289:1667-1674.
77. Fredriksson A, Dencker L, Archer T, Danielsson BR. Prenatal coexposure to metallic mercury vapour and methylmercury produce interactive behavioural changes in adult rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 1996; 18:129-134.
78. Bilrha H, Roy R, Moreau B, Belles-Isles M, Dewailly E, Ayotte P. In vitro activation of cord blood mononuclear cells and cytokine production in a remote coastal population exposed to organochlorines and methylmercury. Environ Health Perspect 2003; 111:1952-1957.
79. Oskarsson A, Schultz A, Skerfving S, Hallen IP, Ohlin B, Lagerkvist BJ. Total and inorganic mercury in breast milk in relation to fish consumption and amalgam in lactating women. Arch Environ Health 1996; 51:234-241.
80. Weiss B, Reuhl K. Delayed neurotoxicity: a silent toxicity. In: Chang LW, ed. Principles of Neurotoxicology. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1994:765-784.
81. Kennard MA. Cortical reorganization of motor function. Studies on series of monkeys of various ages from infancy to maturity. Arch Neurol Psychiat 1942; 48:227-240.
82. Goldman PS. An alternative to deelopmental plasticity: heterology of CNS structures in infants and and adults. In: Stein DG, Rosen JJ, Butters N, eds. Plasticity and Recovery of Function in the Central Nervous System. New York: Academic Press, 1974:149-174.
83. Johnson D, Almli CR. Age, brain damage, and performance. In: Finger S, ed. Recovery from brain damage. Research and theory. New York: Plenum Press, 1978:115-134.
84. Gogtay N, Giedd JN, Lusk L, Hayashi KM, Greenstein D, Vaituzis AC, et al. Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2004; 10121:8174-8179.
85. Lenneberg EH. The effect of age on the outcome of cortical nervous system disease in children. In: Isaacson RI, ed. The Neuropsychology of Development. New York: Wiley, 1968.
86. Newland MC, Rasmussen EB. Aging unmasks adverse effects of gestational exposure to methylmercury in rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2000; 22:819-828.
87. Newland MC, Reile PA, Langston JL. Gestational exposure to methylmercury retards choice in transition in aging rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2004; 26:179-194.
88. Rice DC. Age-related increase in auditory impairment in monkeys exposed in utero plus postnatally to methylmercury. Toxicol Sci 1998; 44:191-196.
89. Rice DC, Gilbert SG. Effects of developmental methylmercury exposure or lifetime lead exposure on vibration sensitivity function in monkeys. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1995; 134:161-169.
90. Rice DC. Evidence for delayed neurotoxicity produced by methylmercury. Neurotoxicology 1996; 17:583-596.
91. Igata A. Epidemiological and clinical features of Minamata Disease. In: Suzuki T, Imura N, Clarkson TW, eds. Advances in Mercury Toxicology. New York: Plenum Press, 1991:439-457.
92. Rice DC. Effects of pre- plus postnatal exposure to methylmercury in the monkey on fixed interval and discrimination reversal performance. Neurotoxicology 1992; 13:443-152.
93. Gilbert SG, Burbacher TM, Rice DC. Effects of in utero methylmercury exposure on a spatial delayed alternation task in monkeys. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1993; 123:130-136.
94. Newland MC, Yezhou S, Logdberg B, Berlin M. Prolonged behavioral effects of in utero exposure to lead or methyl mercury-reduced sensitivity to changes in reinforcement contingencies during behavioral transitions and in steady state. Tox Appl Pharmacol 1994; 126:6-15.
95. Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Shamlaye CF, et al. The Seychelles Child Development Study of methylmercury from fish consumption: analysis of subscales from the Child Behavior Checklist at age 107 months in the main cohort. Seychelles Med Dent J 2004; 7:107-114.
96. Murata K, Weihe P, Budtz-Jorgensen E, Jorgensen PJ, Grandjean P. Delayed brainstem auditory evoked potential latencies in 14-years-old children exposed to methylmercury. J Pediatr 2004; 144:177-183.
97. Murata K, Weihe P, Renzoni A, et al. Delayed evoked potentials in children exposed to methylmercury from seafood. Neurotoxicol Teratol 1999; 21:343-348.
98. Adams J, Barone S, Jr., LaMantia A, et al. Workshop to identify critical windows of exposure for children's health: neurobehavioral work group summary. Environ Health Perspect 2000; 108:535-544.
99. Garman RH, Weiss B, Evans HL. Alkylmercurial encephalopathy in the monkey (Saimiri sciureus and Macaca arctoides): a histopathologic and autoradiographic study. Acta Neuropathologica 1975; 32:61-74.
100. Research Committee on Minamata Disease. Kumanoto, Japan: Kumamoto University, 1973.
101. Kinjo Y, Higashi H, Nakano A, Sakamoto M, Sakai R. Profile of subjective complaints and activities of daily living among current patients with Minamata disease after 3 decades. Environ Res 1993; 63:241-251.
102. Berlin CM, Kacew S. Environmental chemicals in human milk. In: Kacew S, Lambert GH, eds. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology of Human Development. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis, 1997:67-93.
103. Isaacson RL. The myth of recovery from early brain damage. In: Ellis NR, ed. Aberrant Development in Infancy: Human and Animal Studies. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1975:1-25.
104. Grant CA. Pathology of experimental methylmercury intoxication: Some problems of exposure and response. In: Miller MW, Clarkson TW, eds. Mercury, Mercurials, and Mercaptans. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1973:294-312.
105. Reuhl KR, Chang LW. Effects of methylmercury on the development of the nervous system. Neurotoxicology 1979; 1:21-55.
106. Weiss B, Clarkson TW, Simon W. Silent latency periods in methylmercury poisoning and in neurodegenerative disease. Environ Health Perspect 2002; 110:851-854.
107. Weiss B, Simon W. Quantitative Perspectives on the long-term toxicity of methylmercury and similar poisons. In: Weiss B, Laties VG, eds. Behavioral Toxicology. New York: Plenum, 1975:429-135.
108. Eccles CU, Annau Z. Prenatal methyl mercury exposure, II: Alterations in learning and psychotropic drug sensitivity in adult offspring. Neurobehav Toxicol Teratol 1982; 4:377-382.
109. Rasmussen EB, Newland MC. Developmental exposure to methylmercury alters behavioral sensitivity to D-amphetamine and pentobarbital in adult rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2001; 23:45-55.
110. Williams JR, Spencer PR, Stahl SM, et al. Interactions of aging and environmental agents: the toxicological perspective. In: Baker SR, Rogul M et al, eds. Environmental Toxicity and the Aging Processes. New York: Liss, 1987:81-135.
111. Spyker JM, Sparber SB, Goldberg AM. Subtle consequences of methylmercury exposure: behavioral deviations in offspring of treated mothers. Science 1972; 177:621-623.