Effects of mercury and tobacco smoke prenatal exposure in newborns from Aveiro region, Portugal

Alves, A.C.; Monteiro, M.S.; Costa, C.; Soares, A.M.V.M.; Teixeira, João Paulo; Loureiro, S.

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/3655

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It is widely known that people are daily exposed to a number of chemicals due to environmental contamination and/or habits or lifestyle. One of those chemicals is mercury (Hg), which is a naturally occurring, nonessential metal and it is ubiquitous in its different forms. Humans can be exposed to Hg through diet (fish and shellfish), industry, and medical applications such as dental amalgams and cosmetics. Nowadays the Ria de Aveiro region is still considered an hotspot for Hg contamination and therefore an important study area. Another potential threat to humans is tobacco smoke either by first or secondhand exposure, despite the effort on tobacco control policies in work and social places. Hg and tobacco smoke have been considered a concern to the public health since they cause irreversible adverse effects on functional and organic systems. During organogenesis, the developing embryo is particularly sensitive to teratogens and therefore the mother’s diet and lifestyle play a crucial role in the risk of fetus exposure to contaminants in this critical window of development. In this context, the main objective of this work was to assess the exposure of mothers and their newborns from the Aveiro district to Hg and tobacco smoke and to assess their relation with neurotoxic and genotoxic biomarkers of effects.