Studio di coorte prospettico dell'associazione tra l'esposizione prenatale a mercurio e acidi grassi polinsaturi attraverso il consumo di pesce materno e lo sviluppo neurologico del bambino in una popolazione costiera del Friuli Venezia Giulia

Abstract Background: Mercury is a neurotoxicant and there is concern that prenatal exposure, even at low levels, may affect a child's neurodevelopment in the longer term. However, epidemiological studies investigating this issue have yielded inconsistent results. Objectives: We assessed the association between low-level prenatal mercury exposure through maternal fish consumption and child neurodevelopment in a coastal Northern Italian population, taking into account the effect of potential confounders, including polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Methods: This study is a prospective cohort study. Mercury was determined in different biological samples, including hair from pregnant women and umbilical cord blood. The fatty acid concentrations were measured in maternal serum. Study outcomes were the composite scores of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III). We used linear regression to assess the associations between exposures and outcomes. Results: Pregnant women ate on average less than 2 servings of fish per week. Mercury concentrations in biological samples were low (in hair, mean 1061 ng/g) and moderately correlated with fish intake. Maternal n-3 PUFA concentrations showed poor correlation with fish intake. After adjusting for potential confounders, there was no evidence that mercury had an adverse effect on neurodevelopment. Socioeconomic, and family-related factors were significantly associated with neurodevelopmental scores. Conclusions: There is no evidence that low level exposure to mercury from fish consumed during pregnancy represents a risk for the neurodevelopment of offspring in this Northern Italian population. Factors related to the social environment appeared to play a more important role.