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Association of Blood Mercury Level and Neurobehavioral Performance in Korean Elementary School Students  

SaKong, Joon (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Yeungnam University Hospital)
Jeon, Man-Joong (Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University)
Yun, Sung-Ho (Department of Occupational Medicine, Good Morning Hospital)
Hong, Yun-Chul (Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University)
Lee, Chul-Gab (Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chosun University)
Kim, Young-Ki (Department of Occupational Medicine, Busan National University Yangsan Hospital)
Ha, Mi-Na (Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dankook University)
Kwon, Ho-Jang (Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dankook University)
Publication Information
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine / v.22, no.4, 2010 , pp. 324-330 More about this Journal
Abstract
Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the effect of blood mercury on neurobehavioral performance in Korean elementary school students. Methods: We measured the blood mercury concentration in 1,077 elementary school students from Seoul, Busan, Daegu and Gwangju, then the students underwent computerized neurobehavioral test. Results: The mean concentration of blood mercury of study subjects was 2.10 ${\mu}g$/L. An increased blood mercury was associated with an increased reaction time in digit addition and symbol digit. Conclusions: The blood mercury concentration of study subjects was very high compared to findings in a foreign country. We found several associations between blood mercury level and neurobehavioral performance.
Keywords
Blood mercury; Elementary school students; Neurobehavioral performance;
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