A study supported by the European Union's Environment and Climate research programme has revealed that high intakes of methylmercury during pregnancy can lead to slight delays in the neurological development of children.

The study, carried out in the Faroe Islands, showed that the higher the mercury exposure in the mothers womb, the greater the risk that slight delays in the development of attention span, memory, language and other brain functions may occur.

In the Faroe Islands, mercury exposure mainly originates from eating pilot whale meat - a food product not generally included in European and American diets. The results are, however, relevant to general concerns about mercury pollution, which causes contamination of seafood and freshwater fish worldwide.