FINAL REPORT to U.S.EPA Benchmark Modeling of the Faroese Methylmercury Data

• Main Authors: Esben Budtz-jørgensen, Niels Keiding
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1999
• Subjects: Faroe Islands
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.530.6855; http://www.chef-project.dk/PDF/BENCHMAR.pdf

Methylmercury is a common contaminant of seafood and freshwater fish (1). While adverse effects have been unequivocally demonstrated in poisoning incidents, the implications of lower-level exposures in fish-eating populations have been controversial (2,3). A birth cohort was generated in the Faroe Islands during 1986-1987 and is being studied prospectively to examine the possible adverse effects of prenatal exposure to methylmercury (4). Deficits in several domains of brain function were associated with increased prenatal exposures to methylmercury, while postnatal exposures appeared less important (4,5). Regression analyses have been used to estimate these associations, but such data are of limited use when considering approximate thresholds of effects and safe levels of exposure. An attractive approach in this regard is to calculate so-called benchmark doses and their lower confidence limits (6). The present report therefore presents benchmark calculations for indicative findings of this study. Study population A cohort of 1022 singleton births was assembled during 1986-1987, and mercury concentrations were measured in maternal hair at parturition (:g/g) and in cord blood (:g/l)