Abstract
Abstract: The Faroe Islands are located in the North Atlantic between
Shetland and Iceland. The population of 48,000 mainly relies on seafood,
and traditional diets also include meat and blubber from the pilot whale.
The meat is contaminated with methylmercury and the blubber with lipophilic
pollutants, mainly PCB and DDE. From 1985, prospective studies have been
carried out to characterize the adverse effects of seafood contaminants.
In the design of these studies, decisions were made in regard to the
types of biologic samples to collect for contaminant analyses (as exposure
biomarkers). Beneficial parameters such as essential nutrients and of
breast-feeding were also recorded. Follow up for developmental patterns,
especially in regard to neurobehavioral and immunologic outcomes, was
carried out at carefully selected ages that were deemed optimal for the main effect parameters
Shetland and Iceland. The population of 48,000 mainly relies on seafood,
and traditional diets also include meat and blubber from the pilot whale.
The meat is contaminated with methylmercury and the blubber with lipophilic
pollutants, mainly PCB and DDE. From 1985, prospective studies have been
carried out to characterize the adverse effects of seafood contaminants.
In the design of these studies, decisions were made in regard to the
types of biologic samples to collect for contaminant analyses (as exposure
biomarkers). Beneficial parameters such as essential nutrients and of
breast-feeding were also recorded. Follow up for developmental patterns,
especially in regard to neurobehavioral and immunologic outcomes, was
carried out at carefully selected ages that were deemed optimal for the main effect parameters
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 22-23 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Journal | Epidemiology |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 6 suppl. |
Publication status | Published - 2006 |
Keywords
- birth cohort studies
- Faroe Islands
- birth cohort