Prenatal exposure to lead in an urban area

Abstract

PDS 62: Chemicals and metals: exposure and biomarkers, Johan Friso Foyer, Floor 1, August 28, 2019, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Background/Aim: To evaluate environmental prenatal exposures in urban areas and to test viability for a Rio Birth Cohort Study of Environmental Exposure and Childhood Development (PIPA Project), a pilot study was conducted from October 2017 to August 2018. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prenatal exposure to lead in an urban area of Municipality of Rio de Janeiro-Brazil, correlate lead levels in maternal blood and umbilical cord blood and analyze the association between umbilical cord blood level and birth outcomes (prematurity, birth weight, birth length and head circumference). Methods: Biological samples of 117 mother-child pairs, born in School Maternity of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, from October / 2017 to February / 2018 were analyzed. Maternal blood samples were collected in the third trimester of gestation and umbilical cord blood at delivery. Lead concentrations in blood were measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). For the data analysis Pearson correlation and Fisher tests were applied (p<0,05) Results:32% of the pregnant women and 24% of the newborns had lead blood levels above 5 μg/dL, reference level established by theUnited States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2012. The geometric mean of blood lead levels in the maternal blood and umbilical cord blood were respectively 3.74 μg/dL and 3.85 μg/dL, the Spearman”s correlation was ρ=0.67 p <0.001. According to Fisher’s test there was no association between blood lead levels in umbilical cord blood and the birth outcomes investigated. Conclusion: These findings contribute to the increase of knowledge regarding exposure to lead in an urban area. More researches, public health interventions, surveillance program are needed in order to provide estimates of blood lead levels, to identify sources of exposure and reduce lead, in Municipality of Rio de Janeiro-Brazil.