Mercury - Reproductive and Developmental Impacts | Washington State Department of Health

Tools to help you talk to your patients about reproductive and developmental impacts from mercury.

Patient Handouts & Education

Healthy Fish Guide (English) (Spanish)
Fish Advice for Women and Children, DOH
Patient fact sheet on mercury in skin creams (English) (Spanish)

Provider Resources

Evidence-based Messaging

Reprinted from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol 207 (6), Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD MPH et al., Environmental exposures: how to counsel preconception and prenatal patients in the clinical setting, pages: 463-470, 2012 with permission from Elsevier.

Messaging	Key Points
Health-based	Exposure to mercury can come from eating fish, contact with quicksilver, use of skin-lightening creams, or inhalation of mercury vapors at work. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin; exposure during pregnancy can lead to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes that include lower IQ and poor language and motor development. Fish is an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to improve visual acuity and scores on the Denver Developmental Screen.
Exposure Reduction	Pregnant, preconception, and breastfeeding patients should follow US Environmental Protection Agency and state-specific fish consumptions guidelines. To maximize the benefits of fish consumption, eat fish twice per week. Choose a variety of fish; avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tile fish. Eat fish that are lower in mercury. If you eat recreationally caught fish, access local fish advisories and follow the recommendations for consumption. Do not use skin-lightening creams or home remedies that might contain mercury.
Resources	Reproductive health providers can access web resources that offer lists of “healthy fish” and species to avoid; patients can use these when grocery shopping or eating out:https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Food/Fish/HealthyFishGuide and http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp. Reproductive health providers who suspect mercury toxicity in their patients from very high fish consumption, exposure to metallic mercury, home remedies, or use of skin-lightening creams should contact a toxicologist at their local poison control center or an occupational and environmental medicine physician/pediatric environmental health specialist (www.aoec.org) for advice on testing and chelation.

More Information

BPA and Phthalates
Lead
Mercury (above)
Pesticides
Reproductive and Developmental Impacts of Environmental Chemicals