ArticleInternational journal of hygiene and environmental health2016
Maternal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion and offspring neurodevelopment: A prospective cohort study.
Article in International journal of hygiene and environmental health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Associated with Early-Life Exposure to Heavy Metals: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Association between Maternal Lead Exposure from Seafood Consumption and Neurodevelopment: A Systematic Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025Pooled it
- Prenatal Mercury Exposure and Neurodevelopment up to the Age of 5 Years: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Zebrafish parental co-exposure to environmentally relevant levels of inorganic arsenic + methylmercury impacts neurobehavior in parents and progeny.Environmental toxicology and pharmacology · 2026Article
- Which prenatal biomarker is most appropriate for methylmercury dose-response for neurodevelopmental effects?Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part B, Critical reviews · 2025Review
- Mercury Levels in Hair of Pregnant Women in Tumbes, Peru: A Cross-Sectional Study.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025Article
- Seafood Toxicant Exposure During Pregnancy, Lactation, and Childhood and Child Outcomes: A Scoping Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025Article
- Hair mercury isotopes, a noninvasive biomarker for dietary methylmercury exposure and biological uptake.Environmental science. Processes & impacts · 2024Article
- Geographic differences in exposures to metals and essential elements in pregnant women living in Suriname.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2023Article
- Navigating a Two-Way Street: Metal Toxicity and the Human Gut Microbiome.Environmental health perspectives · 2022Article
- Risks from mercury in anadromous fish collected from Penobscot River, Maine.The Science of the total environment · 2021Article
- Maternal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion and child neurodevelopment in the first three years: a prospective cohort study in rural China.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2021Article
- Neurodevelopment correlates with gut microbiota in a cross-sectional analysis of children at 3 years of age in rural China.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Associations of metals and neurodevelopment: a review of recent evidence on susceptibility factors.Current epidemiology reports · 2020Article
- Seafood, wine, rice, vegetables, and other food items associated with mercury biomarkers among seafood and non-seafood consumers: NHANES 2011-2012.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2020Article
- Blood total mercury and methylmercury among pregnant mothers in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2018Article
- Prenatal lead, cadmium and mercury exposure and associations with motor skills at age 7 years in a UK observational birth cohort.Environment international · 2018Observational
- Essential micronutrient and toxic trace element concentrations in gluten containing and gluten-free foods.Food chemistry · 2018Article
- Endocrine active metals, prenatal stress and enhanced neurobehavioral disruption.Hormones and behavior · 2018Article
- Neurodevelopmental Effects of Mercury.Advances in neurotoxicology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDietary methylmercury intake can occur not only through fish ingestion but also through rice ingestion; however, rice does not contain the same beneficial micronutrients as fish.
objectivesIn rural China, where rice is a staple food, associations between prenatal methylmercury exposure (assessed using maternal hair mercury) and impacts on offspring neurodevelopment were investigated.
methodsA total of 398 mothers were recruited at parturition at which time a sample of scalp hair was collected. Offspring (n=270, 68%) were assessed at 12 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II, yielding age-adjusted scores for the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI).
resultsAmong 270 mothers, 85% ingested rice daily, 41% never or rarely ingested fish/shellfish and 11% ingested fish/shellfish at least twice/weekly. Maternal hair mercury averaged 0.41μg/g (median: 0.39μg/g, range: 0.079-1.7μg/g). In unadjusted models, offspring neurodevelopment (both MDI and PDI) was inversely correlated with hair mercury. Associations were strengthened after adjustment for fish/shellfish ingestion, rice ingestion, total energy intake (kcal), and maternal/offspring characteristics for both the MDI [Beta: -4.9, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): -9.7, -0.12] and the PDI (Beta: -2.7, 95% CI: -8.3, 2.9), although confidence intervals remained wide for the latter.
conclusionsFor 12-month old offspring living in rural China, prenatal methylmercury exposure was associated with statistically significant decrements in offspring cognition, but not psychomotor development. Results expose potential new vulnerabilities for communities depending on rice as a staple food.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.