Guest guest Posted October 15, 2001 Report Share Posted October 15, 2001 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20011016b2.htm Mercury in moms delays toddlers' steps: research KUMAMOTO (Kyodo) Research by a lecturer at Kagoshima University's faculty of medicine has confirmed that relatively high levels of mercury in mothers can delay when their children take their first steps. Tetsuo Ando examined 44 mothers with less than 10 parts per million of mercury in their hair and the development of their infants. He found the children's first steps were delayed in relation to high levels of mercury. The normal mercury level for women is around 2 ppm. Conducted over three years from 1992, the study shows that for every 1 ppm increase in mercury, children started walking 1.58 months later than usual. Ando said the mothers in the study gave birth at three hospitals in Kagoshima Prefecture. " While the data, from a statistical viewpoint, cannot clearly state the link, they cannot be dismissed simply as totally unrelated to mercury, " Ando said. Ando is set to report the results of the study to the sixth International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, which started Monday in Kumamoto Prefecture's Minamata, where industrial pollution caused deaths, disabilities and birth defects in the 1950s and 1960s. The condition, which paralyzes the central nervous system, was named Minamata disease. The study marks the first time a Japanese research group conducted a serious examination of the effects of mercury on fetuses, Ando claimed. International debate continues about whether mothers with about 10 ppm of mercury in their hair after eating large amounts of fish can transfer small amounts of mercury to their babies. The Japan Times: Oct. 16, 2001 © All rights reserved Make a great connection at Personals. http://personals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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