Micronutrients & recovery
A significant portion of newborns in the US are exposed in utero to methyl mercury levels considered to carry an increased risk of adverse neurodevelopmental effects, primarily driven by high fish consumption in specific demographic groups.
If you are pregnant or planning to be, your fish choices directly impact your baby's brain development. Over 300,000 US babies are exposed to risky mercury levels annually. To protect your baby, avoid high-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish) and choose low-mercury options (salmon, shrimp, canned light tuna, pollock).
Based on the distribution of BHg concentrations among the adult female participants in 1999–2000 NHANES and the number of U.S. births in 2000, > 300,000 newborns each year in the United States may have been exposed in utero to methyl mercury concentrations higher than those considered to be without increased risk of adverse neurodevelopmental effects associated with methyl mercury exposure.
Why this rating
Based on robust population data (NHANES) and established toxicological thresholds.
Source
Blood organic mercury and dietary mercury intake: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999 and 2000.
Kathryn R. Mahaffey et al. · Environmental Health Perspectives · 2003
DOI 10.1289/ehp.6587
More from this paper
- Higher frequency of fish and shellfish consumption is directly associated with significantly higher blood organic (methyl) mercury concentrations in adult women.Good
- Demographic factors, specifically race/ethnicity and age, significantly influence baseline blood mercury levels independent of self-reported consumption, with 'Other' racial/ethnic groups and older women (30-49) having higher concentrations.Good
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