Development and application of a novel method to characterize methylmercury exposure in newborns using dried blood spots.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a pollutant of global concern. While there is a need to gauge early-life exposures, there remain outstanding ethical, financial, and practical challenges with using the preferred biomarker, whole blood, notably in pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and children. Dried bloodspots (DBS) may help overcome some of these challenges. Notably DBS are collected from newborns in many jurisdictions offering an institutionalized platform to efficiently characterize exposures.

Objective

To develop, validate, and apply a new method to measure MeHg levels in DBS with a specific aim to use this method to increase understanding of newborn exposures.

Methods

Method development and validation was pursued by consulting U.S. EPA Method 1630 and other re

SUBMITTER: Basu N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6309537 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature