Title
Elevated Hair Mercury Levels Are Associated With Neurodevelopmental Deficits in Children Living Near Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Peru
Date Issued
01 May 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
research article
Author(s)
Reuben A.
Frischtak H.
Berky A.
Ortiz E.J.
Hsu-Kim H.
Pendergast L.L.
Pan W.K.
Abstract
Children living near artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) are at risk of exposure to mercury, a neurotoxicant. It is not certain whether such exposures are harming development, as they occur in underresourced contexts entwined with other stressors, such as malnutrition and enteric infection. This study sought to investigate the association between hair-mercury levels and visual-motor, cognitive, and physical development among children living near ASGM in the Peruvian Amazon. Total hair-mercury levels were measured in 164 children ages 5–12 living in Madre de Dios, Peru. Primary outcomes included Visual-Motor Integration assessed via the Beery-VMI Developmental Test, General Cognitive Ability assessed via the Batería-III Woodcock-Munoz (Spanish-language Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities), and Physical Health assessed via anthropometry/hemoglobin counts. Mean (SD) hair-mercury level was 2.06 (2.43) μg/g. Fifty-four children (32.9%) had hair-mercury levels above the World Health Organization reference level of 2.0 μg/g. After controlling for sex, child age, maternal education, and family socioeconomic status, each one unit increase in log hair-mercury level was associated with a 1.01 unit decrease in Visual-Motor Integration (95%CI: −2.06, 0.05, p = 0.061), a 2.59 unit decrease in General Cognitive Ability (95%CI: −4.52, −0.66, p = 0.012), and a 2.43 unit decrease in Physical Health (95%CI: −5.34, 0.49, p = 0.096). After adjustment for covariates, children with hair-mercury levels exceeding the World Health Organization reference level scored 4.68 IQ points lower in Cognitive Ability than their peers. Mercury exposures related to ASGM may be harming child development in the Peruvian Amazon. Children in this region may benefit from intervention to reach their full developmental potential.
Volume
4
Issue
5
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Salud pública, Salud ambiental
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85085344051
Source
GeoHealth
Sponsor(s)
The authors would like to acknowledge support from the Dirección Regional de Salud de Madre de Dios and the aid of the healthcare posts and the field technicians who assisted this study in each of the assessed communities. The authors would also like to thank Minerva Cartagena for her invaluable assistance. Special thanks to the children and families who participated in this study.
Funding for this study was provided by Hunt Oil Peru LLC to Duke University (HOEP‐QEHSS‐140003, W. P.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. H. F. received support as trainee, under the mentorship of W. P., from the Doris Duke Foundation. A. R. was supported by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Grant F31ES029358. W. P. acknowledges additional support from Bass Connections and the Center for Latin American Studies at Duke University, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX15AP74G), and the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R21ES026960).
Funding for this study was provided by Hunt Oil Peru LLC to Duke University (HOEP-QEHSS-140003, W.?P.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. H.?F. received support as trainee, under the mentorship of W.?P., from the Doris Duke Foundation. A.?R. was supported by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Grant F31ES029358. W.?P. acknowledges additional support from Bass Connections and the Center for Latin American Studies at Duke University, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX15AP74G), and the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R21ES026960). The authors would like to acknowledge support from the Direcci?n Regional de Salud de Madre de Dios and the aid of the healthcare posts and the field technicians who assisted this study in each of the assessed communities. The authors would also like to thank Minerva Cartagena for her invaluable assistance. Special thanks to the children and families who participated in this study.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus