Abstract
The objective of this study was to characterize the concentrations of lead, mercury, cadmium, aluminum, and manganese in umbilical cord blood of Jamaican newborns and to explore the possible association between concentrations of these elements and certain birth outcomes. Based on data from 100 pregnant mothers and their 100 newborns who were enrolled from Jamaica in 2011, the arithmetic mean (standard deviation) concentrations of cord blood lead, mercury, aluminum, and manganese were 0.8 (1.3 μg/dL), 4.4 (2.4 μg/L), 10.9 (9.2 μg/L), and 43.7 (17.7 μg/L), respectively. In univariable General Linear Models, the geometric mean cord blood aluminum concentration was higher for children whose mothers had completed their education up to high school compared to those whose mothers had any education beyond high school (12.2 μg/L vs. 6.4 μg/L; p < 0.01). After controlling for maternal education level and socio-economic status (through ownership of a family car), the cord blood lead concentration was significantly associated with head circumference (adjusted p < 0.01). Our results not only provide levels of arsenic and the aforementioned metals in cord blood that could serve as a reference for the Jamaican population, but also replicate previously reported significant associations between cord blood lead concentrations and head circumference at birth in other populations.
Highlights
Exposure to several trace elements/heavy metals, including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and aluminum during pregnancy has been shown to be harmful to the developing fetus [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9] and can be harmful to the human nervous system, even at low levels of exposure [10,11,12,13]
Information was provided on blood trace element/metal concentrations in a sample of 100 newborn cord blood samples from 100 pregnant women in Jamaica, which could serve as a reference for the Jamaican population
Our findings indicate that the cord blood arsenic concentrations in Jamaican newborns are much lower than those in other developing countries such as Taiwan and China
Summary
Exposure to several trace elements/heavy metals, including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and aluminum during pregnancy has been shown to be harmful to the developing fetus [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9] and can be harmful to the human nervous system, even at low levels of exposure [10,11,12,13]. A study that investigated the role of air pollutants in birth outcomes has reported statistically significant associations between low birth weight and levels of aluminum (in all trimesters), calcium, nickel, silicon, and zinc (in the third trimester), as well as elemental carbon and titanium (in the first trimester) [33,34]. A study based on a cohort of 470 mother-infant pairs from
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
