Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, especially to the developing brain, and can affect the developing fetus months after the mother’s exposure. The harmful effects that can be passed from the mother to the fetus include neurological impairment, IQ loss and damage to the kidneys and cardiovascular system. At high levels of mercury, exposure this can lead to brain damage, mental retardation, blindness, seizures and the inability to speak.
While researchers have studied mercury body burden in specific regions of the world, information on developing and transition countries is lacking. This study builds upon previous mercury monitoring activities by IPEN and BRI and is focused on measuring the mercury body burden of 757 women of child-bearing age in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and SIDS-like locations in the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian oceans.
The data indicates that there is a serious and substantial threat to women and children’s health from mercury exposure in most of the locations where sampling took place. Distant air emissions of mercury from sources such as coal-fired power plants and mercury use in small-scale gold mining contaminate ocean fish that serve as a primary protein source for SIDS populations. SIDS are impacted by the negative consequences of these polluting activities yet receive none of the benefits.