Excerpt
4. Discussion
This study provides evidence that children living in high risk
areas were exposed to either F, As, Pb, DDT or PCBs and these
contaminants could contribute, to some degree, to children’s low
performance observed in the tests of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex
Figure. The highest proportion of children (89%) with Copy
performance below 1 SD was observed in children from F–As
area. Approximately 9 out of 10 children were unable to copy the
ROCF as expected for their a
The mothers of the ten fetuses that formed the subject group for this study all had dental fluorosis, with a corresponding increase in urinary fluoride, indicating that these pregnant women were suffering from chronic fluoride poisoning. The excess fluoride of the mother was passed through the placental barrier into the fetus, and from there through the blood-brain barrier to accumulate in the fetal brain, leading to a significant rise in bone and brain fluoride levels. Our results are consiste