Abstract
The present study was carried out to determine the lead and cadmium concentration in maternal and umbilical cord blood and placental tissue and breast milk, evaluating forty deliveries with normal evolution of pregnant women living in a mining-smelting town in Peru. In this study, mean concentration of lead in the blood of both women and their neonates were 27.2 ± 15.9 and 18.5 ± 13.0 µg/dl, respectively with 83% of the women and 65% of the neonates having toxic levels. Mean cadmium concentrations in maternal blood were below the safe upper limit, but 45% of women had levels above 10 µg/dl. On the other hand, the mean cadmium concentration in umbilical cord blood was 12.0 ± 17.8 µg/dl, with 38% of neonates having levels above 10 µg/dl. The mean concentrations of lead and cadmium in maternal milk were 108.9 ± 69.4 and 5.6 ± 4.3 µg/dl, respectively. In addition, lead and cadmium in cord blood accounted for 67.8 and 136.4% compared to concentrations in maternal blood. There was negative relationship between the concentration of lead in the umbilical cord blood and the birth weight of the neonate (p = 0.006). From this study, it is evident that lead contamination and to lesser extent cadmium, pose a problem in pregnant women in this region. In addition, although the placenta appears to act as a protective barrier to the fetus, transfers of these metals to the fetus still persist. Furthermore, the concentration of lead was quite high in maternal milk and could be an important source of contamination to the infant. Finally, there was a negative association between the levels of lead in the umbilical cord blood and the birth weight. Key words: Lead in umbilical cord blood, cadmium in umbilical cord blood, lead in maternal milk, cadmium in maternal milk, lead in placenta, cadmium in placenta, mining-smelting town.
Highlights
Lead contamination has been related to a number of health problems, growth and psychomotor retardation in children, alterations in hearing, hematopoietic, central and peripheral nervous system, urinary, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and endocrine system in adults (Needleman, 1998)
There were no significant differences in the age, years of residency or the birth weight or sex of the children between the three groups of women
It is evident that the population living in La Oroya have a serious problem of environmental contamination with heavy metals, as exemplified by the levels of lead and cadmium observed in the blood of pregnant women and their neonates
Summary
Lead contamination has been related to a number of health problems, growth and psychomotor retardation in children, alterations in hearing, hematopoietic, central and peripheral nervous system, urinary, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and endocrine system in adults (Needleman, 1998). Carcinogenic, neurological damages, and cognitive and behavioral alterations have been linked to lead toxicity (Corey and Galvão, 1989). It is thought that concentrations of lead in blood reflect recent exposure, while the concentrations in hair and bones reflect chronic toxicity (Kim et al, 1995). It has been suggested that lead can be stored in bones for up to ten years and that there is an active transfer between bone and the blood stream, especially during pregnancy and breastfeeding (Corey and Galvão, 1989). It has been observed that lead deposits in the placenta usually reflect exposure to these metals during pregnancy (Reichrtova et al, 1998). It has been surmised that placenta could be a thin protective barrier to the fetus (Iyengar and Rapp, 2001c; Durska et al, 2002; Bellinger et al, 1987)
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