title: [Human mercury exposure and irregular menstrual cycles in relation to artisanal gold mining in Colombia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Artisanal mining commonly extracts gold with an amalgamation process that uses mercury. The reproductive effects from exposure to elemental mercury used in gold mining have not been sufficiently studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of the exposure to elemental mercury used in gold mining on menstrual cycle regularity and the occurrence of miscarriages in Colombia.
  
  
  METHODS
  An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted. The participants were female residents of gold mining districts, with a history of exposure to elemental mercury. Menstrual regularity and the occurrence of miscarriages were compared between these women and an unexposed group. Exposure and outcome variables were registered based on a questionnaire which was evaluated for its test-retest reproducibility. Prevalence rates were calculated using a binomial model and goodness-of-fit was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 72 women exposed to mercury and 121 unexposed women participated. The average time of exposure to mercury among exposed women was 19.58 ± 9.53 years. The adjusted prevalence of irregular menstruation over the last six months was higher in the group of women chronically exposed to mercury vapors (PR=1.59, 95% CI 0.93-2.73), while there was no difference in the proportion of women with a history of miscarriages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to elemental mercury used in artisanal gold mining may be associated with a higher prevalence of irregular menstrual cycles but not with the occurrence of miscarriage.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Industrial de Santander.
authors.forename: Laura Andrea
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Villamizar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Industrial de Santander.
authors.forename: Diana Carolina
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Jaimes
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Química Ambiental, Universidad Santo Tomás, Bucaramanga, Colombia.
authors.forename: Adelaida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manquián-Tejos
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Microbiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Industrial de Santander.
authors.forename: Luz Helena
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003105:Colombia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006046:Gold; D006801:Humans; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008628:Mercury / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008906:Mining; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D006046:Gold; D008628:Mercury