A. Lanzirotti, K. W. Jones, T. W. Clarkson, and P. Grandjean
Introduction
Recently a National Academy of Sciences expert panel has reviewed the human health risks from methyl mercury in fish. Specifically, they reviewed three epidemiological studies on children prenatally exposed to methyl mercury (MeHg) in seafood. One study is located in the Faeroe Islands in the North Atlantic on a population whose exposure to MeHg is from consumption of fish and pilot whale meat. A second study, completed over 15 years ago, was located in New Zealand on people largely consuming ocean fish. The third study is located in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean where MeHg exposure comes from consumption of fish and barracuda.
All three studies included hair levels as one measure of the body burden of MeHg. All three studies used the average hair levels during pregnancy in their regression analyses comparing mercury levels in the mother with developmental measures in the children. Two studies, the Faeroes and New Zealand found adverse effects on child development whereas the Rochester study in the Seychelles did not. There it was found that the children were developing well with no evidence of any adverse effect from MeHg.
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