Background: Maternal blood total mercury (THg) is a biomarker for prenatal methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. Few studies have quantified both blood THg and MeHg during pregnancy, and few studies have reported longitudinal trends.
Objectives: We analyzed blood THg and MeHg in a cohort of pregnant mothers in Charleston, South Carolina (n = 83), and investigated whether blood THg or MeHg changed between early and late gestation.
Methods: THg and MeHg were analyzed in blood samples from early (12 ± 1.7 weeks) and late (35 ± 2.2 weeks) gestation.
Results: Blood %MeHg (of THg) averaged 63% (range: 10-114%) and 61% (range: 12-117%) during early and late gestation, respectively. In unadjusted analyses, blood MeHg decreased from early to late pregnancy (paired t-test, p = 0.04), while THg did not change (paired t-test, p = 0.34). When blood MeHg was normalized by the hematocrit, this decrease was no longer statistically significant (paired t-test, p = 0.09).
Conclusions: In unadjusted analyses, blood MeHg, but not THg, decreased significantly between early and late gestation; this decrease was due in part to hemodilution. Percent MeHg (of THg) varied by up to one order of magnitude. Results highlight the importance of Hg speciation in maternal blood samples to assess prenatal MeHg exposure.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7425126 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41370-018-0033-1 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Factors and mechanisms driving among-lake variability of mercury concentrations in a benthivorous fish in the canadian subarctic.
Chemosphere
January 2025
Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada. Electronic address:
Wild-caught fish are an important subsistence food source in remote northern regions, but they can also be a source of exposure to mercury (Hg), which has known health hazards. We investigated factors and mechanisms that control variability of Hg concentrations in Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) among remote subarctic lakes in Northwest Territories, Canada. Integrating variables that reflect fish ecology, in-lake conditions, and catchment attributes, we aimed to not only determine factors that best explain among-lake variability of fish Hg, but also to provide a whole-ecosystem understanding of interactions that drive among-lake variability of fish Hg.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganic foliar spraying: A method that synchronously reduces mercury methylation in soil and accumulation in vegetable.
Environ Pollut
December 2024
College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; Faculty of Architecture and Engineering, Guizhou Polytechnic of Construction, Guiyang, 551400, China.
Although the use of foliar spraying with organic matter has been extensively studied and applied to reduce heavy metals in plants, research on its application for reducing mercury (Hg) accumulation in plants, particularly the more toxic methylmercury (MeHg), remains scarce. Furthermore, previous researches on the barrier mechanisms of foliar spraying primarily concentrated on the effects of spraying agents on plant physiological and biochemical indicators, with limited focus on their impacts on soil environment. Herein, the dynamic effects and mechanisms of organic foliar spraying materials, including earthworm liquid fertilizer (ELF), Tween 80 (T80), and citric acid (CA), on soil Hg methylation and accumulation in lettuce were investigated using pot experiment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnaerobic fermentation of straw with sulfate addition: A suitable approach for straw utilization in mercury-contaminated areas.
J Environ Manage
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Karst Georesources and Environment (Guizhou University), Ministry of Education, Guiyang, 550025, China.
Returning raw straw to the soil can significantly elevate soil methylmercury (MeHg) and crop mercury (Hg) levels, underscoring the need to investigate safer approaches to straw utilization in mercury-contaminated regions. In this study, rice straw underwent anaerobic fermentation with the addition of sulfate, and the resulting fermentation products were utilized in a pot experiment involving water spinach to assess the impact of anaerobically fermented straw return on soil Hg methylation and its bioaccumulation. Findings revealed that the addition of sulfate during straw fermentation markedly increased the fermentation degree of the products, and sulfate was converted into organic sulfur-containing ligands that can functionalize the fermentation residuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs, Cd, Hg, and Pb Biological Concentrations and Anthropometry in Slovak Adolescents.
Biol Trace Elem Res
December 2024
Faculty of Public Health, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, 833 03, Slovakia.
Anthropometry provides a non-invasive technique for evaluating growth and obesity and serves as an indicator of health status. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the association of internal arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and lead (Pb) exposure with anthropometric parameters, including obesity, in adolescents. Participants (N = 320) were children aged 10-14 years (mean 11.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMercury bioaccumulation and assimilation in marine plankton in meltwater influenced fjords and shelf waters along the east coast of Greenland.
Environ Pollut
December 2024
National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
The rapid melting of the Arctic cryosphere due to climate change will result in significant freshwater input into Arctic marine ecosystems. This might also cause the release of legacy mercury (Hg) stored in the cryosphere, increasing Hg concentration and its subsequent effects on the marine biota. However, there is scarce knowledge on the concentration of Hg in the lower trophic level organisms at the base of the Arctic pelagic food web.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!