The Special Session of ICMGP 2009
Methylmercury and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids exposure from fish consumption
Principal Organizer: Mineshi Sakamoto, National Institute for Minamata
Disease, Japan
Co-organizer: Laurie HM Chan, University of Northern British Columbia,
Canada
The organizing committee of ICMGP2009 asked for a proposal from conferees
for the Special Session, which I believe is the first attempt by ICMGP
of the kind. So, we decided to propose financial support to this special
session from the National Institute for Minamata Disease as a new type
of contribution to the ICMGP.
This session consists of 8 oral presentations and 8 posters. Speakers were
from Japan, USA, Canada, Brazil, China, Spanish, Venezuela, Ethiopia and
Slovenia. The number of the audience was more than 110.
Fish and shellfish are an important component of the diet in many countries.
If fish/shellfish were not important sources of nutrients such as protein
and n3-PUFAs, one would recommend cutting down fish consumption to lower
the intake of MeHg. In this session, we provided data to estimate the dietary
intake from both MeHg and n-3 PUFA in many populations. We also provided
data on placental transfer of MeHg and n-3 PUFA. Then, we introduced the
latest epidemiological findings on the effect and interactions of both
MeHg and of n-3 PUFA on prenatal development. Finally, we showed dissimilar
distributions of MeHg and 3n-PUFA across individual fish/shellfish species
and provided information on how to maximize the dietary intake of n-3 PUFA
and minimize MeHg exposures through optimal choice of fish/shellfish species.
Dietary recommendations for pregnant women should incorporate the nutritional
benefits as well as the risks of fish intake.
Of course, it was nearly impossible to conclude this topic with the time
given to us. However, we felt sure that everyone would find this information
important to improve public health and to utilize regional food sources
so as to optimize prenatal development through this special session.
At the beginning of the ICMGP, we were thunderstruck at the sad news of
Dr. Kathryn Mahaffey. She was going to be a chair of this special session.
We would like to express our deepest sympathy to her again.
S01-01 Mercury exposure from fish consumption within the Japanese and Korean
communities..................................................................................................................
S01-02 Hair Mercury: Current Methylmercury Exposure in Japan..............................
S01-03 Relationship between methylmercury (MeHg) and docosahexaenoic acids
(DHA) in pregnant women and fetuses.........................................................................
S01-04 Prenatal low levels mercury exposure on infant development: a prospective
study in Zhoushan Islands, China..................................................................................
S01-05 Methylmercury Exposure, Fish Consumption, and Cardiovascular Function
in Faroese Whalingmen.....................................................................................................
S01-06 Maternal fish intake during pregnancy, blood mercury, and child
cognition at age 3 years in a US cohort.............................................................................................
S01-07 Methylmercury and omega-3 fatty acids: co-occurrence of dietary
sources with emphasis on fish and shellfish..............................................................................
S01-08 Balancing the risk of Methylmercury and benefits of n-3 Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids Exposure from Fish Consumption............................................................
S01-09 Nutrition transition of the Amazon Basin: Impact of fish consumption
on growth of exclusively breastfed infants during the first 5 years..................................
S01-10 Total and Methyl Mercury in Maternal and Cord Blood of Pregnant
Women in Korea..........................................................................................................................
S01-11 Mercury, selenium, PCBs and fatty acids in fresh and canned fish
on the Slovenian market.........................................................................................................
S01-12 Mercury in hair as a biomarker of exposure in a coastal Venezuelan
population....................................................................................................................
S01-13 Potential contamination of mercury from artisanal gold mining in
the Talawaan watershed area, north Sulawesi, Indonesia..................................................
S01-14 Methylmercury exposure from fish consumption in communities near
Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes.........................................................................................
S01-15 Mercury levels in household members hair and in fish from fishing
villages in Zhoushan, China and estimated total daily dietary intakes for
fishermen, housewives and children..................................................................................................................
S01-16 Health benefits and chemical risks associated to dietary habits:
Fish consumption, mercury and omega-3 fatty acids...................................................................
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