Assessment of perinatal mercury exposure in coastal Croatia

Abstract

Introduction. Mercury is an environmental contaminant. It is present in fish and seafood mostly in the form of methylmercury, a highly toxic compound that could cause nerodevelopmental disorders with lifelong disability. Placenta does not act as a barrier to methylmercury and it easily passes to unborn child. Materials and Methods. We assessed perinatal exposure to mercury in 101 healthy postpartum women (aged 29±4.7 years) who gave birth at term by vaginal delivery during 2010 in General Hospital of Zadar County, coastal Croatia. Personal information, collected by a questionnaire, included data on dietary fish and seafood consumption and number of amalgam fillings. Maternal venous blood and umbilical cord blood samples were taken after delivery. Total mercury concentration (T-Hg) was determined in blood and serum using ICP-MS method. Results. Median and range of T-Hg were 1.83 (0.18-25.3) and 3.11 (0.10-46.9) µg/L in maternal blood and umbilical cord blood and 0.62 (0.10-4.59) and 0.44 (0.05-4.03) µg/L in maternal serum and umbilical cord serum. T-Hg in maternal and umbilical cord blood was associated with weakly fish consumption (p<10-7) and maternal age (p<0.02) and T-Hg in maternal and umbilical cord serum was associated with both fish consumption (p<10-4) and number of dental amalgam fillings (p<0.04). Multiple regression model (adjusted for maternal age and smoking habit) confirmed Pearson correlation results. Conclusion. Values of T-Hg in maternal and cord blood and serum were mainly related to maternal dietary fish intake. These values are higher than T-Hg determined in continental parts of Europe and lower than in certain other Mediterranean areas.