Prenatal Mercury Exposure and Neurodevelopment up to the Age of 5 Years: A Systematic Review

Kyle Dack, Matthew Fell, Caroline M. Taylor, Alexandra Havdahl and Sarah J. Lewis
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Kyle Dack: Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK
Matthew Fell: Cleft Collective, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK
Caroline M. Taylor: Centre for Academic Child Health, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK
Alexandra Havdahl: Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway
Sarah J. Lewis: Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: Neurodevelopmental delays can interfere with children’s engagement with the world and further development, and may have negative consequences into adulthood. Mercury is highly toxic and may negatively influence neurodevelopment because it can freely cross the placenta and accumulate in the fetal brain. We searched four publication databases (Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus) for studies examining the relationship between early life mercury exposure and scores on neurodevelopmental performance measures in children aged 0 to 5 years old. Study quality was assessed using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Quality Assessment Tool. Thirty-two prospective studies were included in the review. Neurodevelopmental performance was measured using 23 different scales, most commonly the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID). In most cases, the evidence for an association between mercury and neurodevelopment was weak. There did not appear to be exceptions for particular childhood ages, outcome scales, or mercury levels. The small number of results to the contrary were more likely to be studies which did not meet our high-quality criteria, and could be a consequence of multiple testing, selection bias, or incomplete confounder adjustment. Based on current evidence, dietary mercury exposure during pregnancy is unlikely to be a risk factor for low neurodevelopmental functioning in early childhood.

Keywords: systematic review; pregnancy; childhood; mercury; methylmercury; neurodevelopment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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