Past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a First Nation community (Canada)
Abstract Background The watershed in Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) territory has been contaminated by mercury (Hg) since 1962, resulting in very high Hg concentrations in fish, central to the community’s culture, traditions, economy and diet. Biomarkers of Hg e...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:c391deace37e4f2da8bd615d3b2ed60c 2023-05-15T13:28:57+02:00 Past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a First Nation community (Canada) Aline Philibert Myriam Fillion Judy Da Silva Tanya Suvendrini Lena Donna Mergler 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00838-y https://doaj.org/article/c391deace37e4f2da8bd615d3b2ed60c EN eng BMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00838-y https://doaj.org/toc/1476-069X doi:10.1186/s12940-022-00838-y 1476-069X https://doaj.org/article/c391deace37e4f2da8bd615d3b2ed60c Environmental Health, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-17 (2022) Mercury Past exposure First nation Nervous system dysfunction Symptom clusters Clustering Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene RC963-969 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00838-y 2022-12-31T07:12:21Z Abstract Background The watershed in Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) territory has been contaminated by mercury (Hg) since 1962, resulting in very high Hg concentrations in fish, central to the community’s culture, traditions, economy and diet. Biomarkers of Hg exposure (umbilical cord blood and hair/blood samples), monitored between 1970 and 1997, decreased over time. A recent Grassy Narrows Community Health Assessment (GN-CHA) survey included current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction. The present study aimed to cluster self-reported symptoms and examine their associations with past Hg exposure. Methods The GN-CHA included 391 adults. Symptom clustering used a two-step segmentation approach. Umbilical cord Hg and/or yearly measurements of equivalent hair Hg were available for 242 participants. Structural Equation Models (SEM) displayed the associations between Hg exposure and clusters, with Hg exposure modelled as a latent variable or in separate variables (prenatal, childhood and having had hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g at least once over the sampling period). Longitudinal Mixed Effects Models (LMEM) served to examine past hair Hg with respect to clusters. Results A total of 37 symptoms bonded into 6 clusters, representing Extrapyramidal impairment, Sensory impairment, Cranial nerve disturbances, Gross motor impairment, Neuro-cognitive deficits and Affect/Mood disorders. Median Hg concentrations were 5 μg/L (1–78.5) and 1.1 μg/g (0.2–16) for umbilical cord and childhood hair, respectively. More than one-third (36.6%) had hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g at least once. In SEM, latent Hg was directly associated with Extrapyramidal and Sensory impairment, Cranial nerve disturbances and Affect/Mood disorders. Direct associations were observed for prenatal exposure with Affect/Mood disorders, for childhood exposure with Extrapyramidal impairment and Cranial nerve disturbances, and for hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g with Extrapyramidal and Sensory impairment. For all clusters, a further association between past Hg ... Article in Journal/Newspaper anishina* Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada Environmental Health 21 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Mercury Past exposure First nation Nervous system dysfunction Symptom clusters Clustering Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene RC963-969 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
spellingShingle |
Mercury Past exposure First nation Nervous system dysfunction Symptom clusters Clustering Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene RC963-969 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Aline Philibert Myriam Fillion Judy Da Silva Tanya Suvendrini Lena Donna Mergler Past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a First Nation community (Canada) |
topic_facet |
Mercury Past exposure First nation Nervous system dysfunction Symptom clusters Clustering Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene RC963-969 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
Abstract Background The watershed in Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) territory has been contaminated by mercury (Hg) since 1962, resulting in very high Hg concentrations in fish, central to the community’s culture, traditions, economy and diet. Biomarkers of Hg exposure (umbilical cord blood and hair/blood samples), monitored between 1970 and 1997, decreased over time. A recent Grassy Narrows Community Health Assessment (GN-CHA) survey included current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction. The present study aimed to cluster self-reported symptoms and examine their associations with past Hg exposure. Methods The GN-CHA included 391 adults. Symptom clustering used a two-step segmentation approach. Umbilical cord Hg and/or yearly measurements of equivalent hair Hg were available for 242 participants. Structural Equation Models (SEM) displayed the associations between Hg exposure and clusters, with Hg exposure modelled as a latent variable or in separate variables (prenatal, childhood and having had hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g at least once over the sampling period). Longitudinal Mixed Effects Models (LMEM) served to examine past hair Hg with respect to clusters. Results A total of 37 symptoms bonded into 6 clusters, representing Extrapyramidal impairment, Sensory impairment, Cranial nerve disturbances, Gross motor impairment, Neuro-cognitive deficits and Affect/Mood disorders. Median Hg concentrations were 5 μg/L (1–78.5) and 1.1 μg/g (0.2–16) for umbilical cord and childhood hair, respectively. More than one-third (36.6%) had hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g at least once. In SEM, latent Hg was directly associated with Extrapyramidal and Sensory impairment, Cranial nerve disturbances and Affect/Mood disorders. Direct associations were observed for prenatal exposure with Affect/Mood disorders, for childhood exposure with Extrapyramidal impairment and Cranial nerve disturbances, and for hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g with Extrapyramidal and Sensory impairment. For all clusters, a further association between past Hg ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Aline Philibert Myriam Fillion Judy Da Silva Tanya Suvendrini Lena Donna Mergler |
author_facet |
Aline Philibert Myriam Fillion Judy Da Silva Tanya Suvendrini Lena Donna Mergler |
author_sort |
Aline Philibert |
title |
Past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a First Nation community (Canada) |
title_short |
Past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a First Nation community (Canada) |
title_full |
Past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a First Nation community (Canada) |
title_fullStr |
Past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a First Nation community (Canada) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a First Nation community (Canada) |
title_sort |
past mercury exposure and current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction in adults of a first nation community (canada) |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00838-y https://doaj.org/article/c391deace37e4f2da8bd615d3b2ed60c |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
anishina* |
genre_facet |
anishina* |
op_source |
Environmental Health, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-17 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00838-y https://doaj.org/toc/1476-069X doi:10.1186/s12940-022-00838-y 1476-069X https://doaj.org/article/c391deace37e4f2da8bd615d3b2ed60c |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00838-y |
container_title |
Environmental Health |
container_volume |
21 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1765997488403120128 |