Mercury concentrations in fetuses with malformations.

The total mercury concentrations in placenta, kidney and liver of 59 fetuses with malformations were detected and measured by cold-vapour atomic absorption spectrometry. Median values were 13 micrograms/kg for placenta, 20 micrograms/kg for kidney and 31 micrograms/kg for liver, based on the use of paraffin-embedded tissue (pt), which generally leads to values of concentration double those obtained on a wet weight basis. The tissue concentrations presented here are in the same range as results from other studies. Measurements in a control group of 56 fetuses without malformations from the same geographical region were also carried out. These demonstrated a median value of the liver-Hg-burden of 27 micrograms/kg (pt). The higher liver concentrations of the fetuses with malformations could be explained by growth retardation, leading to seemingly higher tissue concentrations of mercury. Regarding the results according to the organs affected by malformations, no abnormally high Hg-concentrations in the liver of any group were detected. Summing up, our investigations show no evidence of mercury implication in these malformations, and it was finally concluded that the mercury burden of the population in this region would not lead to organ malformations in the developing fetus.