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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Prenatal mercury exposure and birth outcomes

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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. This study was funded by Grants from Spain: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041, FIS-FEDER 03/1615, 04/1509, 04/1112, 04/1931, 04/2018, 04/1436, 05/1079, 05/1052, 06/1213, 07/0314, 08/1151, 09/02647, 09/02311, 11/01007, 11/ 02591, 11/02038, 13/1944, 13/02429, 14/00891, 14/01687, and Miguel Servet MS15/0025), Conselleria de Sanitat Generalitat Va- lenciana, Generalitat de Catalunya (CIRIT 1999SGR 00241), De- partment of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093 and 2009111069), the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/004 and DFG08/001), Obra Social Cajastur and University of Oviedo; and Grants from the EU: NEWGENERIS FP6-2003-Food-3-A- 016320, FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957, HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1.