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Published online 6 February 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news040202-16

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Mercury affects brains of adolescents

Study of high-seafood diet points to poison's long-lasting impact.

Eating seafood that contains mercury can affect the brain development of children in their adolescence, according to a study of people in the Faroe Islands.

The study fuels an ongoing debate about the health effects of a form of mercury called methylmercury, which accumulates in large marine animals such as swordfish and whales.

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