Cognitive Performance of Children Prenatally Exposed to ‘‘Safe’’ Levels of Methylmercury

The Scientific Paper:

Philippe Grandjean, Pal Weihe, Roberta F. White, and Frodi Debes. Environmental Research. Section A 77. pp 165 – 172. 1998.

Review This Scientific Paper’s Abstract:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=
9600810&dopt=Abstract

The Purpose of this Study:
To determine if levels of methylmercury exposures in the womb considered to be safe in 1998 actually caused any bad effects on the children’s brain and mental development.

Some Background, Methods, Results, Caveats, and Other Select Points:

• This peer-reviewed, scientific paper was published in 1998.
• These scientists studied methylmercury exposures to 1022 Faroe Islands children while they were still in the womb by determining the levels of methylmercury in their mothers’ hair. None of these children were twins or any other type of multiple births.
• The scientists carefully tested and studied the brain development of each 917 of these children when they were seven years old.
• Six of the tests used revealed some lower scores that relate to these methylmercury-exposed children’s ability to move, to communicate, and their memory when compared to similar children not exposed to methylmercury.
• The group of methylmercury-exposed children and the group of children not exposed to methylmercury are almost identical with regard to other factors that might affect performance on the six, brain development tests each completed.

A Bottom Line:
Subtle effects on brain function seem to be detectable at methylmercury exposure levels that occur in the womb that science considered to be safe in 1998.

Find This Scientific Paper for Your Review:
Cognitive Performance of Children Prenatally Exposed to ‘‘Safe’’ Levels of Methylmercury. Environmental Research. Section A 77. pp 165 – 172. 1998.