Mercury Toxicity in Children

摘要

As scientists and pediatricians who study the impacts of toxic chemicals on children's health and deal with the consequences of exposure, we are concerned that in her Editorial "Mercury and health" (27 September, p. 1430), M. McNutt suggests that more research is needed to determine the effects of sublethal doses of mercury on the development of young children. The developmental toxicity of mercury has been studied extensively for more than two decades (1-10). A major review by the National Academy of Sciences (1) concluded that evidence for the developmental neurotoxicity of methylmercury is strong and highly credible, even at low levels of exposure.