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KMID : 0881720120270010074
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Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
2012 Volume.27 No. 1 p.74 ~ p.80
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The Influence of Fish Consumption on Umbilical Cord Blood Mercury Level in Pregnant Women in the City of Tongyeong, Korea
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Jang Chul-Won
Kim Sang-Hyun
Choi Jong-Duck
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Abstract
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Fish contain both the neurotoxin methyl mercury (MeHg) and nutrients important for brain development. The developing brain appears to be most sensitive to MeHg toxicity and mothers who consume fish during pregnancy expose their fetus prenatally. Although brain development is most dramatic during fetal life, it continues for years postnatally and additional exposure can occur when a mother breast feeds or the child consumes fish. This raises the possibility that MeHg might influence brain. We evaluated the relationship between fish consumption and mercury exposure levels in umbilical cord blood of the pregnant women of the city of Tongyeong city, Korea. A total of 159 pregnant women residing in the city of Tongyeong, Korea were recruited for the study between October 2010 and March 2011. Fish consumption was evaluated using food frequency questionnaires including detailed questions on fish consumption. We used ANOVA to estimated the particular relevance between the frequency of fish consumption and the umbilical cord blood mercury concentration, and other various factors. The average mean concentration of mercury levels in umbilical cord blood of pregnant women who participated in our study were 2.69 ± 2.50 ppb, ranging from 0.01 to 14.80 ppb. The mean concentration of umbilical cord blood mercury exposure was lower than the level recommended by WHO (5.0 ppb), but the mercury exposure level exceeded the WHO recommended in 17 (10.7%) cases of umbilical cord blood. Mercury levels in cord blood of pregnant women were 2.04 ± 2.00 ppb, ranging from 0 to 8.00 ppb in below 29 years old and 3.18 ± 2.74 ppb, ranging from 0.01 to 14.80 ppb in more 30 years old. In this study, there was a significant difference for the frequency of eating fish between the groups (p < 0.01). The level of the groups that ate fish 3 to more times per week (4.15 ± 4.02 ppb) was significant higher as compared with the level of other groups that ate fish 1 to times per week (2.63 ± 2.22 ppb) and none per week (1.06 ± 1.44 ppb), respectively. We found that the mercury concentration of umbilical cord blood associate with fish consumption and this was statistically significant and this fact revels that fish consumption is positively related to mercury levels in the
umbilical cord blood. We need systematic and periodic research on the general population to prevent mercury poisoning,
which can be cause by low-level mercury exposure from dietary intake such as chronic fish consumption
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KEYWORD
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Umbilical cord blood, Pregnant women, Mercury levels, Fish consumption
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