Abstract
IntroductionIncreasing awareness of the potential chronic health effects of arsenic (As) at low exposure levels has motivated efforts to better understand impaired child development during pregnancy by biomarkers of exposure. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prenatal exposure to As by analysis of an alternative matrix (meconium), to examine its effects on neonatal outcomes and investigate the association with maternal lifestyle and dietary habits during pregnancy.MethodsA transversal descriptive study was conducted in Tenerife (Spain). A total of 96 mother-child pairs participated in the study. A questionnaire on sociodemographic, lifestyle and dietary habits during pregnancy was administered the day after the delivery. Analysis of total As in meconium was performed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer.ResultsTotal As was detected in 37 (38.5%) meconium samples. The univariate logistic regression model indicates that prenatal exposure to As was associated with a low intake of eggs per week (OR 0.56; CI (95%): 0.34–0.94) during pregnancy. Conversely, frequent intake of vegetables was associated with prenatal As exposure (OR: 1.19; CI (95%): 1.01–1.41) and frequent intake of processed meat (as bacon, Frankfurt’s sausage, and hamburger) shows a trend to As prenatal exposure (OR: 8.54; CI (95%): 0.80–90.89). The adjusted multivariate logistic regression model indicates that only frequent intake of vegetables maintains the association (OR: 1.31; CI (95%): 1.02–1.68).ConclusionThe studied population presented a low As exposure and was not associated with neonatal effects. Maternal consumption of vegetables during pregnancy was associated with detectable meconium As levels; however the concentration detected in meconium was too low to be considered a major public health concern in this geographical area.
Highlights
Increasing awareness of the potential chronic health effects of arsenic (As) at low exposure levels has motivated efforts to better understand impaired child development during pregnancy by biomarkers of exposure
Total arsenic was detected in 37 meconium samples (38.5%) with a range of 0.10 to 31.40 ng/g of meconium
Maternal consumption of vegetables during pregnancy was the only factor associated with detectable meconium arsenic levels
Summary
Increasing awareness of the potential chronic health effects of arsenic (As) at low exposure levels has motivated efforts to better understand impaired child development during pregnancy by biomarkers of exposure. The inorganic form of arsenic present in drinking water is considered the most toxic form and classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer [1]. Arsenic in food is mainly present in the organic form, basically as methylated metabolites that are eliminated from body and widely assumed to be less toxic. Humans are mainly exposed to arsenic via the environment while in a small group of the population it can be an occupational hazard. The general population could be exposed to arsenic mainly through water and food. In some regions of Bangladesh, China, Chile and United States of America drinking water is the major source of human exposure due to the fact that ground water contains arsenic at concentrations in excess of 50 mg/L. Among the dietary source arsenic can be found mainly in seafood, rice cereal and poultry [2]
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