Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Mercury exposure and child development outcomes.

Philip W Davidson1, Gary J Myers, Bernard Weiss

  • 1Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities, Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642, USA. phil_davidson@urmc.rochester.edu

Pediatrics
|April 3, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Associations between maternal fish intakes, maternal and cord PUFA and longitudinal measures of child weight at birth, 20 months and at 7 and 13 years of age.

The British journal of nutrition·2026
Same author

Letter to the editor: The relevance of mercury studies to fish consumption during pregnancy.

Environmental research·2025
Same author

Fish consumption advice is depriving children of neurolipids and other nutrients essential to brain and eye development.

Neurotoxicology·2025
Same author

Associations of Prenatal Mercury Exposure and PUFA with Telomere Length and mtDNA Copy Number in 7-Year-Old Children in the Seychelles Child Development Nutrition Cohort 2.

Environmental health perspectives·2025
Same author

Associations between maternal fish intake and polyunsaturated fatty acid status with childhood asthma in a high fish-eating population.

Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology·2025
Same author

Dietary selenium and mercury intakes from fish consumption during pregnancy: Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2.

Neurotoxicology·2023

Universal mercury exposure is widespread, but neurotoxicity data at low doses is limited. This review examines mercury

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Mercury is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant with known neurotoxic effects at high doses.
  • Typical human exposures occur at low to moderate levels, where neurotoxicity data is scarce and debated.
  • Public concern is rising regarding mercury's link to developmental disabilities, particularly autism spectrum disorders.

Observation:

  • Limited dose-response data exists for mercury's impact on neurodevelopment.
  • The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a significantly lower reference dose for methylmercury compared to previous international and national guidelines.
  • Discrepancies in guidelines and ongoing public debate highlight scientific uncertainty.

Findings:

  • Scientific interpretation of low-dose mercury neurotoxicity varies.

Related Experiment Videos

  • There is a lack of consistent, robust scientific evidence to definitively link typical mercury exposure levels to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • The EPA's revised reference dose for methylmercury is lower, reflecting a precautionary approach.

    • Implications:

    • Further research is critically needed to clarify low-dose mercury neurotoxicity and neurodevelopmental risks.
    • Public policy decisions regarding mercury exposure must balance scientific uncertainty with public health concerns.
    • Understanding the scientific basis is crucial for addressing parental concerns and potential regulatory or legal actions.