Background/Aim: In Tanzania, artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM) operations expose entire communities to mercury and arsenic via the water they drink, the food they eat, the soil in which their food is grown, and the air they breathe. Prenatal exposure to mercury and arsenic is associated with reproductive risk factors including still birth, low birth weight, and congenital anomalies, and with poorer developmental outcomes in children. The Mining and Health study is investigating differences in prenatal exposure levels between women who live in ASGM areas and those who do not, and associated reproductive risk and early developmental outcomes of their children. Method: 1056 pregnant women were recruited during antenatal care clinics visits. For total mercury, a drop of whole blood was collected on filter paper (Whatman #903) following a simple finger prick to obtain a dried blood spot (DBS). For total arsenic, unprovoked morning urine samples were collected. DBS and urine samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results: Preliminary findings revealed that pregnant women with a history of living in an area with ASGM activities had blood mercury levels that were at least twice as high (95% CI: 0.54-2.4; p<0.0001) as women who had no history of living in ASGM areas. Living in an area with AGSM activities was associated with an increase in urine arsenic level of 54% (95%CI: 1.32-1.8; p<0.0001) compared to those not living in those areas. Conclusions: Living in ASGM communities was associated with higher blood total mercury and total arsenic levels in pregnant women. These higher blood levels could be associated with increased reproductive risk in the women and poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in the children, which is the ongoing focus of this study.
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机译：背景/目标：在坦桑尼亚，手工和小规模采金业（ASGM）通过其饮用的水，所食用的食物，所生长的土壤和呼吸的空气使整个社区接触汞和砷。产前暴露于汞和砷与生殖危险因素有关，包括死产，低出生体重和先天性畸形，以及儿童的发育结果较差。采矿与健康研究正在调查居住在手工和小规模采金地区的妇女与不住在手工和小规模采金地区的妇女在产前暴露水平上的差异，以及与子女的生殖风险和早期发育结果相关的差异。方法：在产前保健门诊期间招募了1056名孕妇。对于总汞，通过简单的手指刺刺将一滴全血收集在滤纸（Whatman＃903）上，以获得干血斑（DBS）。对于总砷，收集无缘无故的早晨尿液样本。使用感应耦合等离子体质谱仪分析DBS和尿液样本。结果：初步发现显示，有过ASGM活动区域生活史的孕妇血液中的汞含量至少是无史的孕妇的两倍（95％CI：0.54-2.4; p <0.0001）。生活在手工和小规模采金地区。与不住在那些地区的人相比，住在有AGSM活动的地区的尿砷水平增加了54％（95％CI：1.32-1.8; p <0.0001）。结论：生活在手工和小规模采金社区与孕妇血液中的总汞和总砷水平较高有关。这些较高的血液水平可能与妇女的生殖风险增加以及儿童的神经发育结果较差有关，这是本研究的持续重点。
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