ercury and selenium concentrations
were determined in scalp hair samples
collected postpartum from 82 term pregnancy
mothers and their neonates. Maternal mercury
and selenium had median concentrations of
0.39 microgram/g (range 0.1-2.13 microg/g)
and 0.75 microg/g (range 0.1-3.95 microg/g),
respectively, and corresponding median
neonatal values were 0.24 microg/g (range
0.1-1.93 mcrog/g) and 0.53 microg/g (range
0.1-3.0 microg/g). Amalgam based restorative
dental treatment received during pregnancy by
27 mother (Group I) was associated with
significantly higher mercury concentrations in
neonates (p<0.0001) compared to those born
to 55 mothers (Group II) with most recent
history of such dental treatment was dated to
periods ranging 1and 12 yr prior pregnancy. In
Group I mother/neonate pairs, amalgam
removal and replacement in 19 cases was
associated with significantly higher mercury
concentrations compared to 17 cases of new
amalgam emplacement. Selenium
concentrations showed no significant
intergroup differences. However, the
selenium/mercury molar ratio values were
lowest in Group I neonates compared to their
mothers and the Group II mother/neonate
pairs. This decreased as mercury
concentrations increased and this interrelation
was statistically significant in both groups of
mother/neonate pairs. The data from
preliminary study suggest that amalgam-based
dental treatment during pregnancy is
associated with higher prenatal exposure to
mercury, particularly in case of amalgam
removal and replacement. The ability of
peripheral biological tissues such as hair, to
elicit such marked differ in neonatal mercury
concentration provides supporting evidence of
high fetal susceptibility to this form of mercury
exposure. The data are discussed in relation to
the differences between mother and fetal
mercury metabolisms and to mercury-selenium
metabolic interactive response to mercury
exposure.
Razagui IB, Haswell SJ Biol Trace Elem Res,2001;81:1-19
Copyright © 2003 Anamol Laboratories Ltd.
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