Edouard Bastarache Inc. on sat 14 oct 06
Hey Ron,
here is one for your friend Monona,
Mercury may contribute to premature birth
a.. 12:00 14 October 2006=20
b.. From New Scientist Print Edition.
Eating fish has long been tough choice for expectant mothers. On the one =
hand, it contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can boost birth weight and =
cognitive abilities. On the other, fish can also contain mercury, which =
causes severe neurological damage to the fetus. Now it seems that =
mercury poses yet another risk: premature birth.
Fei Xue of the Harvard School of Public Health and her colleagues tested =
a group of 1024 pregnant women in Michigan and found an average mercury =
level of 0.29 parts per million in their hair. Those who ate more fish =
tended to carry more mercury, with canned fish associated with the =
highest mercury levels.
Women who gave birth more than two weeks early were three times as =
likely to have mercury concentrations of at least 0.55 ppm than those =
who carried their babies to term (Environmental Health Perspectives, =
DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9329).
However, since only 44 of the women gave birth prematurely, Xue says =
further research is needed to firm up the statistical significance. "The =
messages are really very conflicting because fish is both a benefit and =
a potential source of hazard," says Xue. Until the risks become clearer, =
she recommends taking fish oil supplements instead.
Edouard Bastarache
Le Fran=E7ais Volant
The Flying Frenchman
Sorel-Tracy
Quebec
edouardb@sorel-tracy.qc.ca
www.sorel-tracy.qc.ca/~edouardb/Welcome.html
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/smart2000/index.htm
http://www.pshcanada.com/Toxicology.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30058682@N00/
http://thepottersshop.blogspot.com/
http://www.ceramique.com/cerambooks/html_fiches/83568.php
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