The Pediatric Environmental Health Unit of the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital in Murcia begins an epidemiological clinical investigation to learn and study the impact of environmental pollutants on children's health. The project "Hermes: Assessment of exposure and intake of mercury and methylmercury during pregnancy and in the child population of the Murcia region”They affirm that it is the first in Spain and has the participation of the CSIC (Higher Council for Scientific Research) and is funded by Hero S.A.
Some 800 children and about 200 pregnant women will participate voluntarily in the research, a population that is mainly exposed to these substances through dental amalgams and certain foods, for example fish, the main source of methylmercury to the body. The neurological development of various children from pregnancy to the first years of life will be studied to assess the exposure suffered during pregnancy, as the toxicity of methylmercury and its effects on the fetal nervous system are recognized by the European Food Safety Agency and children, affecting learning, although he acknowledges that there are not enough studies on the intake of this metal.
Dr. Juan Antonio Ortega, responsible for the Pediatric Environmental Health Unit of the Arrixaca, ensures that they lack reliable data on the benefits and risks of both pregnant women and children, so this project is necessary to establish The necessary recommendations.
