Cognitive Deficit in 7-Year-Old Children with Prenatal Exposure to Methylmercury

Authors: Philippe Grandjean, et al.
Institute of Community Health, Odense University, Denmark

Journal: Neurotoxicology and Teratology, November 1997

Summary: Researchers followed over 900 mother/child pairs from the Faroe Islands, a region with diets high in pilot whale meat. Clinical examination and neurophysical testing does not reveal any clear-cut mercury-related abnormalities. However, mercury-related subclinical neuropsychological dysfunctions are most pronounced in the domains of language, attention, and memory, and to a lesser extent in visuospatial and motor functions.