Prenatal mercury exposure and birth outcomes

Abstract

Background: Results regarding the association between mercury exposure and anthropometry at birth, gestational length and placental weight are inconsistent, as is the role of seafood intake in these asso- ciations. Objective: We assessed whether prenatal mercury exposure is associated with anthropometry at birth, placental weight and gestational length in a population with a relatively high exposure to mercury from seafood consumption. Methods: Total mercury (T – Hg) was determined in cord blood from 1869 newborns with birth outcome measures, within the Spanish multicenter INMA cohort from 2004 to 2008. We adjusted cohort speci fi c linear and Cox regression models to evaluate the association between T – Hg and birth anthropometry (weight, length, and head circumference), placental weight and gestational length. Non-spontaneous labor was taken to be censoring in the survival analysis. Final estimates were obtained using meta- analysis. Results: Geometric mean T – Hg was 8.2 μ g/L. A doubling of T – Hg was associated with a 7.7 g decrease in placental weight (95% CI: 13.6, 1.8) and marginally with head circumference (beta: 0.052 cm, 95% CI: 0.109, 0.005). T – Hg was also inversely related to weight and length, although with weaker esti- mates. Mercury exposure was not associated with the length of gestation. The inverse relation between T – Hg and growth was enhanced when the intake of different seafood groups was adjusted for in the models. Conclusions: Prenatal mercury exposure may be associated with reduced placental and fetal growth. Confounding by fish intake should be considered when assessing these relationships.