MeHg and Infant Neurological Development

(MIND)

PI: Nalini Sathiakumar MD, DrPH (UAB)PI: Satish Rao MBBS (MU)

Manipal University, Karnataka State, India

Meena R. Kannan

UASOM MSEP

Summer 2008

India: Land of superlatives

• Located in Indian subcontinent

• 2nd most populous• 7th largest country• 12th largest and 2nd

fastest growing economy

• Many of the largest cities in world

Specific Aims of the Study

• measure THg and MeHg hair levels among a cross-section of pregnant women resident in Udupi or Mangalore districts;

• develop, pilot test and administer a questionnaire to elicit information on fish and other seafood consumption, other potential sources of Hg exposure and prenatal risk factors that may contribute to neurodevelopmental problems in children; and

• compare self-reported fish consumption patterns and hair levels of THg and MeHg among these women.

Methodology

• Questionnaire

• Hair Sample

• Cord Blood Sample

Study sites

Data CollectedJune (15 days) July (23 days)

ConsentsFish-Eaters + Non-fish-eaters

60 47

Completed Questionnaires Fish-Eaters, Non-fish-eaters

50, 10 41, 6

Hair Samples CollectedFish-Eaters

60 47

Cord Blood Samples Collected

43 36

My Typical Day

• 7:00-9:00 Wake and breakfast at the mess hall• 9:00-1:00 Travel to study sites to administer

surveys and collect hair samples/cord blood samples

• 1:00-2:00 Lunch at mess hall and rest• 2:00-4:00 Meeting with staff, data entry, storage

of samples, preparation for next day

Food

Accommodations

New Chandrasekhar Hostel, Manipal University

Strengths• First hand experience with different methods of data collection

• Experience taking full gynecological, dietary, behavioral, exposure history

• Opportunity to travel to different types of health care centers

• Opportunity to see how physicians, nurses, epidemiologists, toxicologists and chemists can work together to improve the health outcomes at the community level

Limitations• Language barrier

• Poor record keeping in hospitals and clinics of the patients’ gynecological histories

• Monsoon rains and poor road conditions