title: Mercury exposure and children's health.
abstract: Acute or chronic mercury exposure can cause adverse effects during any period of development. Mercury is a highly toxic element; there is no known safe level of exposure. Ideally, neither children nor adults should have any mercury in their bodies because it provides no physiological benefit. Prenatal and postnatal mercury exposures occur frequently in many different ways. Pediatricians, nurses, and other health care providers should understand the scope of mercury exposures and health problems among children and be prepared to handle mercury exposures in medical practice. Prevention is the key to reducing mercury poisoning. Mercury exists in different chemical forms: elemental (or metallic), inorganic, and organic (methylmercury and ethyl mercury). Mercury exposure can cause acute and chronic intoxication at low levels of exposure. Mercury is neuro-, nephro-, and immunotoxic. The development of the child in utero and early in life is at particular risk. Mercury is ubiquitous and persistent. Mercury is a global pollutant, bio-accumulating, mainly through the aquatic food chain, resulting in a serious health hazard for children. This article provides an extensive review of mercury exposure and children's health.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment, Department of Public Health, Information Systems and Health Technology Assessment, UMIT-University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall i.T, Austria.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bose-O'Reilly
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: McCarty
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Steckling
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lettmeier
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005506:Food Contamination; D014943:Global Health; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D017669:Mercury Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D017747:Seafood / Q000633:toxicity; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017669:Mercury Compounds; D012989:Soil Pollutants
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