title: Economic benefits of methylmercury exposure control in Europe: monetary value of neurotoxicity prevention.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Due to global mercury pollution and the adverse health effects of prenatal exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), an assessment of the economic benefits of prevented developmental neurotoxicity is necessary for any cost-benefit analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Distributions of hair-Hg concentrations among women of reproductive age were obtained from the DEMOCOPHES project (1,875 subjects in 17 countries) and literature data (6,820 subjects from 8 countries). The exposures were assumed to comply with log-normal distributions. Neurotoxicity effects were estimated from a linear dose-response function with a slope of 0.465 Intelligence Quotient (IQ) point reduction per μg/g increase in the maternal hair-Hg concentration during pregnancy, assuming no deficits below a hair-Hg limit of 0.58 μg/g thought to be safe. A logarithmic IQ response was used in sensitivity analyses. The estimated IQ benefit cost was based on lifetime income, adjusted for purchasing power parity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The hair-mercury concentrations were the highest in Southern Europe and lowest in Eastern Europe. The results suggest that, within the EU, more than 1.8 million children are born every year with MeHg exposures above the limit of 0.58 μg/g, and about 200,000 births exceed a higher limit of 2.5 μg/g proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The total annual benefits of exposure prevention within the EU were estimated at more than 600,000 IQ points per year, corresponding to a total economic benefit between €8,000 million and €9,000 million per year. About four-fold higher values were obtained when using the logarithmic response function, while adjustment for productivity resulted in slightly lower total benefits. These calculations do not include the less tangible advantages of protecting brain development against neurotoxicity or any other adverse effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These estimates document that efforts to combat mercury pollution and to reduce MeHg exposures will have very substantial economic benefits in Europe, mainly in southern countries. Some data may not be entirely representative, some countries were not covered, and anticipated changes in mercury pollution all suggest a need for extended biomonitoring of human MeHg exposure.
authors.affiliation: EHESP School of Public Health, Rennes Cedex, France. martine.bellanger@ehesp.fr
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellanger
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pichery
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.forename: Argelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castaño
authors.forename: Mája
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cejchanová
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Crettaz
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.forename: Marc E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Anca Elena
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Gurzau
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Halzlova
authors.forename: Andromachi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Katsonouri
authors.forename: Lisbeth E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.forename: Marike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolossa-Gehring
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koppen
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ligocka
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miklavčič
authors.forename: M Fátima
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rudnai
authors.forename: Janja Snoj
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tratnik
authors.forename: Pál
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weihe
authors.forename: Esben
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Budtz-Jørgensen
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grandjean
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000191:economics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds