SynthesisEnvironmental health : a global access science source2025
Relationship of prenatal methylmercury exposure and language/verbal function: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Environmental health : a global access science source, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Neurodevelopmental effects of methylmercury (MeHg): a review of epidemiological points of departure (PoDs), toxicological reference values (TRVs), and key uncertainties in human health risk assessment.Archives of toxicology · 2026Review
- Activation of anti-inflammatory pathways by polyunsaturated fatty acid signaling may protect neurodevelopment in children prenatally exposed to methylmercury.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- Zebrafish parental co-exposure to environmentally relevant levels of inorganic arsenic + methylmercury impacts neurobehavior in parents and progeny.Environmental toxicology and pharmacology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDevelopmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is a well-established hazard of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. Past research on MeHg has highlighted DNT tests of language/verbal function (in particular the Boston naming test (BNT)) as an important aspect of MeHg toxicity.
methodsWe conducted a meta-analysis based on a recent systematic review of MeHg neurodevelopmental dose-response cohort studies published 1998-2025 that reported similarly normed tests of language/verbal function. Meta-analyses were based on recent studies using maternal blood biomarkers or cord blood biomarkers converted into maternal blood biomarkers.
resultsFor the BNT with or without cues, analysis (based on 2 studies (3 populations)) results were adverse, but not statistically significant. For the similarly normed language/verbal tests, decrements were statistically significant [-0.0085 95% (-0.0167; -0.0003) per MeHg µg/L maternal blood (based on eight studies)]. Results of a fill and trim sensitivity analysis were similar in the size of the effect to the original results. The two studies with sex-specific results indicated that boys appeared to be more sensitive to MeHg-related language/verbal function decrements when compared with girls.
conclusionsAlthough most of the individual study results of language/verbal function were not statistically significant, the meta-estimate showed a statistically significant decrement in language/verbal function in children due to prenatal MeHg exposure.
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