Effects of maternral mercury exposure on neurobehavioral development of neonate

Objective To study the effects of mater nalmercury exposure during pregnancy on neurobehavioral development of neonates in Zhoushan city of Zhejiang province for implementing intervention.Methods We surveyed 418 mother-neonate pairs with random cluster sampling from March 2006 to July 2007 in Zhoushan Maternal and Children Health Hospital.The total mercury levels in maternal urine,blood,hair,and cord blood were determined.The neonatal behavioral neurological a ssessment(NBNA) was conducted among all neonates.A survey with a self-designed questionnaire was conducted to collect in formation on mercury exposure among the neonates mothers.Results The average mercury content in cord blood,maternal urine,maternal hair,and maternal blood was 7.9±4.7μg/L,2.8±3.2μg/L,1.21±0.68 mμg/kg,and 5.7±4.0μg/L,respectively.There was a significant correlation between maternal blood mercury content and cord blood mercury content(r=0.754,P < 0.01).The mercury contents in cord blood,maternal urine,and blood increased with the fish consum ption of the pregnant women(P < 0.01).Per capitaincome,fish consumption,and cord blood mercury content affected neurobehavioral development scores of the neonates.The cord blood mercury level of more than 18μg/L was a risk factor of the neonates' neurobehavioral development score.Conclusion The study suggests a correlation between mater nalmercury exposure and fish consum ption,and high level of mercury in cord blood have an mipact on neurobehavioral development of neonates.