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Article: Women in Coastal Areas Are Found to Have Higher Mercury Levels
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- September 23, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Women in coastal communities have twice as much mercury in their
blood as those living inland, according to an analysis by an
Environmental Protection Agency scientist.
The preliminary findings, based on a survey of 3,600 women
conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between
1999 and 2002, provide fresh evidence of the link between fish
consumption and concentrations of methylmercury, a neurotoxin that
causes developmental problems in young children.
The study focused on the 10 percent of women with the highest
mercury levels, and in that group, it found that inland residents
had an average level of 2.4 parts per billion, compared with 5.9
parts per billion for coastal ...