Impact of Mercury on IQ: A Review
Author Information
Author(s): Griffiths Charles, McGartland Al, Miller Maggie
Primary Institution: National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Hypothesis
How does prenatal exposure to methylmercury affect IQ decrements?
Conclusion
The study found that using U.S. EPA assumptions significantly decreased the estimated monetized impact of mercury emissions on IQ.
Supporting Evidence
- The U.S. EPA assumptions decreased the monetized impact of global mercury emissions by 81%.
- The estimated impact of U.S. sources was decreased by almost 97%.
- Discounting further reduced the global impacts estimate by 88% and U.S. power plants by 98%.
Takeaway
Mercury from fish can make kids' brains not work as well, and this study shows that using certain rules can make the problem seem smaller.
Methodology
The authors reviewed and corrected a linear model used to evaluate the impact of prenatal mercury exposure on IQ.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in the choice of models used to estimate impacts.
Limitations
The study relies on assumptions that may not reflect all real-world conditions.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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