2004年美國、英國與歐盟均分別提出一些飲食警告，提醒危險族群，如孕婦、哺育中婦女、可能懷孕之婦女與幼兒孩童，避免食用某些甲基汞含量較高的魚類，希望能減低食品中可能存在的汞危害。甲基汞之大量經胎盤中暴露，已知會在水俁病造成相當嚴重的腦部傷害，且有流行病學研究發現背景暴露於甲基汞的胎兒，亦可能造成神經智能發展之影響。台灣有多次環境中汞污染的報告，而且魚類之食用量相當高，是否台灣之孕婦、哺育中婦女等有暴露到相當量的汞，以致可能影響胎兒之認知發展？至今完全無資料。因此，本研究之主要目的為探討屬於易感時期的胎兒，因母親飲食而在胎盤內暴露到汞之程度，及瞭解在此胎兒期汞暴露程度下對胎兒神經行為發展之影響，以確定台灣胎兒在此汞暴露濃度下，是否安全。
　　本篇研究以追蹤世代研究方式進行，追蹤檢查四個不同地區出生新生兒與其母親，共155對，並將其納入為研究對象。研究方法包括收集胎兒出生後之胎盤，且請母親填寫飲食、工作、與環境暴露等問卷後，再分別以冷蒸氣原子吸收光譜儀量測胎盤中汞濃度作為胎兒期汞暴露指標，並量測胎盤檢體中可能的干擾因子硒濃度，以進行校正比較。且於胎兒12個月至24個月時進行家庭訪視，以貝萊嬰兒發展量表第二版及學齡前兒童行為發展量表瞭解幼兒神經認知發展情形。最後分別利用複回歸分析討論胎盤中汞濃度與幼兒神經認知發展評量結果間的關係。
　　研究對象母親有71%在懷孕時，每週至少會有一餐吃魚。實驗測量結果顯示胎盤中汞濃度幾何平均值為17.6 ng/g (幾何標準差GSD=2.4ng/g)，相較於各國濃度，有明顯較高的趨勢。胎兒性別為男性其胎盤中汞濃度較女性低5.0 ng/g (p=0.04)，胎盤中汞濃度與母親懷孕食用魚類頻率有隨著頻率愈高汞濃度愈高的趨勢存在(p=0.008)，不過並未與銀汞齊補牙數有相關性，亦沒有發現胎盤中汞濃度與硒濃度有明顯的相關性存在。詳細比較貝萊嬰兒發展量表第二版(心智發展及動作發展年齡)及學齡前兒童行為發展量表（粗動作、精細動作、溝通表達、概念理解環境理解、身邊處理、人際社會行為、一般發展發展年齡）兩者各項幼兒發展年齡彼此間之相關程度，顯示兩者的相關性皆非常高(r>0.60, p<0.0001)，且利用兩量表的10個發展評估結果，分別討論與胎盤中汞濃度的關係時，不論在校正前後，皆沒有發現胎盤中汞濃度與發展評估結果間的有明顯的負相關存在。
　　我們結論為：國人之胎兒之汞暴露高於其他工業先進國家，且與母親懷孕時攝食魚類之總量有關，然在此濃度下，以貝萊嬰兒發展量表及學齡前兒童行為發展量表評估並未發現胎兒期汞暴露影響到幼兒神經行為之發展。

　　In 2004, many international institutes released a warning that pregnant women and those who might become pregnant should avoid eating some kinds of fishes because certain fish steaks could contain enough mercury to harm the nervous system of an unborn child. Heavy exposure to mercury in Minamata disease was known to cause severe damage to the nervous system in fetus. In some studies, in utero exposure to background levels of mercury was associated with effects on neurocognitive functioning. Mercury levels in placenta were highly associated with maternal blood and cord blood concentrations, and placental tissue can be regarded as a dual biomarker to assess maternal and fetal exposure. Presently data is lacking on the background exposure in pregnant mothers and fetus, nor the association between mercury exposure and child neurocognitive development. We conducted a study to determine fetal mercury exposure level, and whether such exposure affected child neurocognitive development.
　　This is a prospective cohort study. A total of 155 mother-and-child pairs were recruited from designated obstetric hospitals from four areas in from July 2001 to January 2003. After mothers’ informed consent, placental tissue was obtained and stored in liquid nitrogen. Placental level of mercury was assayed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometer (CVAAS). We followed up the children and evaluated their neurocognitive development with Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II) and Chinese Child Development Inventory (CCDI.) at 12 months to 24 months of age.
　　The geometric mean of mercury levels in placenta was 17.6 ng/g (geometric standard deviation, GSD=2.4 ng/g). The mercury levels in placenta of male babies were 5.0 ng/g lower than those of female babies. Approximately 71% of mothers reported consuming fish at least a meal in a week, and higher prenatal mercury level was associated with the frequency of mothers’ fish intake. Placental mercury level was not related to that of selenium. BSID-II and CCDI were highly correlated in corresponding items (all r>0.60, p<0.0001). However, BSID-II and CCDI were not associated with prenatal mercury exposure before and after adjusting for potential confounders.
　　We conclude that in utero exposure to mercury in Taiwan was higher than other developed countries. Fish intake was related to increase placental mercury level. Under the background level we observed, fetal neurocognitive development was not affected.

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