| Maternal Fish Consumption, Mercury Levels, and Risk of Preterm Delivery Fei Xue,1 Claudia Holzman,2 Mohammad Hossein Rahbar,2 Kay Trosko,3 and Lawrence Fischer3 1Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; 2Department of Epidemiology, and 3Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA Abstract
Background: Pregnant women receive mixed messages about fish consumption in pregnancy because unsaturated fatty acids and protein in fish are thought to be beneficial, but contaminants such as methylmercury may pose a hazard. Methods: In the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) study, women were enrolled in the 15th to 27th week of pregnancy from 52 prenatal clinics in five Michigan communities. At enrollment, information was gathered on amount and category of fish consumed during the current pregnancy, and a hair sample was obtained. A segment of hair closest to the scalp, approximating exposure during pregnancy, was assessed for total mercury levels (70–90% methylmercury) in 1,024 POUCH cohort women. Results: Mercury levels ranged from 0.01 to 2.50 µg/g (mean = 0.29 µg/g ; median = 0.23 µg/g) . Total fish consumption and consumption of canned fish, bought fish, and sport-caught fish were positively associated with mercury levels in hair. The greatest fish source for mercury exposure appeared to be canned fish. Compared with women delivering at term, women who delivered before 35 weeks' gestation were more likely to have hair mercury levels at or above the 90th percentile (? 0.55 µg/g) , even after adjusting for maternal characteristics and fish consumption (adjusted odds ratio = 3.0 ; 95% confidence interval, 1.3–6.7) . Conclusion: This is the first large, community-based study to examine risk of very preterm birth in relation to mercury levels among women with low to moderate exposure. Additional studies are needed to see whether these findings will be replicated in other settings. Key words: fish consumption, pregnancy, preterm delivery, mercury. Environ Health Perspect 115:42–47 (2007) . doi:10.1289/ehp.9329 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 25 September 2006]
Address correspondence to C.B. Holzman, Michigan State University, B601 West Fee, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA. Telephone: (517) 353-8623 ext. 122. Fax: (517) 432-1130. E-mail: holzman@msu.edu We thank all enrollees, participating clinics, and hospitals for their cooperation. Support for these analyses was provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD 34543-01) , the National Institute of Nursing Research (R01 HD034543-07) , the March of Dimes Perinatal Epidemiology Research Initiative (20-FY98-0697 through 20-FY04-37) , and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (75/598323) . The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 15 May 2006 ; accepted 25 September 2006.
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