Pb-Cd in Maternal Blood and Affecting Factors

Abstract

The exposure to Pb-Cd during pregnancy has negative effects on both the mother and the baby. Karabuk province, which is the center of the iron and steel industry, is a region with a high risk of Pb-Cd exposure. This study was designed to determine the levels of lead and cadmium in maternal blood samples and the factors influencing them. After the ethical committee approval from Karabük Training and Research Hospital Ethical Committee, descriptive and analytical analyses were started on the blood samples collected from 100 pregnant women in their third trimester with the childbirth between 01.09.2018-01.09.2019 in Karabük Training and Research Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic. The study, conducted in a descriptive and analytical manner, utilized a 32-question survey form prepared by the researchers and venous blood samples collected simultaneously. For the Pb-Cd analysis, a 3 ml venous blood sample was obtained from pregnant women using a sterile syringe into hemogram tubes with purple caps containing Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The collected samples were preserved in a -20°C refrigerator immediately after labeling and were kept until they were taken for analysis. Maternal blood samples were analyzed using the Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) Graphite System method. According to the analysis results, the mean maternal blood Pb levels of pregnant women with an average age of 28.3±5.37 were found to be 0.89±0.22 μg/dl, and Cd levels were 0.26±0.07 μg/dl. Maternal blood Pb-Cd levels were compared each other according to five parameters which are socio-demographic aspect, obstetrical variables, location characteristics, dietary history, and cosmetic use. Based on these parameters any statistically significant results were obtained. However, blood lead levels were significantly different in pregnant women who smoked (p=0.001) and were exposed to secondhand smoke (p<0.05) compared to non-smokers and those not exposed to secondhand smoke. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in blood Cd levels with respect to exposure to secondhand smoke (p>0.05). Since exposure to Pb-Cd is not a short-term exposure, but rather long-term exposure to low concentrations in daily life, and because their half-lives are long-term. These results obtained from this study can shed light on future studies which aimed to determine the effect of long- term exposure of heavy metals on pregnant women and infants.