Measure B4: Distribution of Concentrations of Mercury in Blood of Women of Child-bearing Age

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• EPA has determined that children born to women with blood concentrations of mercury above 5.8 parts per billion are at some increased risk of adverse health effects.¹ About 3 percent of women of child-bearing age had at least 5.8 parts per billion of mercury in their blood in 2003-2006.
• Current research indicates that there is no safe level of methylmercury in the blood within the range of exposures measured in the human studies of the health effects of mercury, which were as low as 1 part per billion.¹ About 45 percent of the women of child-bearing age in the United States had at least 1 part per billion of mercury in their blood in 2003-2006.
• The graph shows reported concentrations of mercury in blood from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. These figures are for total mercury, which includes methylmercury and other forms of mercury. However, most of the mercury in the blood of participants in the survey was methylmercury, so the measured concentrations are a good indication of methylmercury concentrations.²
• The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and EPA have determined that 58 parts per billion of mercury in the blood of pregnant women corresponds to approximately a doubling in the risk of poor performance on a specific neurodevelopmental test.^3-5 The NAS and EPA also have concluded that 32 parts per billion of mercury in the blood of pregnant women corresponds to approximately a doubling in the risk of abnormal performance on a range of neurodevelopmental tests.^3-5 Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2003-2006 showed no measured blood mercury concentrations greater than or equal to 58 parts per billion in women of child-bearing age. A small percentage of women (less than 0.1 percent) have blood mercury concentrations greater than 32 parts per billion.

Related Measures:

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Mercury in Fish

Healthy People 2010:

Objective 8-10 of Healthy People 2010 addresses the reduction of contaminants (such as mercury) in fish.

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1. National Academy of Sciences. 2000. Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9899.html?onpi_newsdoc071100.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2001. National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services. 01-0379. http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/report.
   
   
3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2001. Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Risk Information for Methylmercury (MeHg). Washington, DC: National Center for Environmental Assessment. http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0073.htm.
   
   
4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2001. Water Quality Criterion for the Protection of Human Health: Methylmercury. Washington, DC. http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/methylmercury/
   merctitl.pdf (PDF) (16 pp, 63K, About PDF).
   
   
5. W. F. Fitzgerald, D. R. Engstrom, R. P. Mason and E. A. Nater. 1998. The case for atmospheric mercury contamination in remote areas. Environmental Science and Technology 32 (1):1-7.