Critical Windows of Prenatal Exposure to Cadmium and Size at Birth

Lu Cheng, Bin Zhang, Tongzhang Zheng, Jie Hu, Aifen Zhou, Bryan A. Bassig, Wei Xia, David A. Savitz, Stephen Buka, Chao Xiong, Joseph M. Braun, Yaqi Zhang, Yanqiu Zhou, Xinyun Pan, Chuansha Wu, Youjie Wang, Zhengmin Qian, Aimin Yang, Megan E. Romano, Kunchong Shi, Shunqing Xu and Yuanyuan Li
Additional contact information
Lu Cheng: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Bin Zhang: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Tongzhang Zheng: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Jie Hu: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Aifen Zhou: Women and Children Medical and Healthcare Center of Wuhan, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Bryan A. Bassig: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
Wei Xia: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
David A. Savitz: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Stephen Buka: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Chao Xiong: Women and Children Medical and Healthcare Center of Wuhan, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Joseph M. Braun: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Yaqi Zhang: Women and Children Medical and Healthcare Center of Wuhan, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Yanqiu Zhou: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Xinyun Pan: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Chuansha Wu: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Youjie Wang: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Zhengmin Qian: Department of Epidemiology, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63103, USA
Aimin Yang: College of Earth and Environmental Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China
Megan E. Romano: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Kunchong Shi: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Shunqing Xu: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China
Yuanyuan Li: Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, Hubei, China

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Prenatal cadmium (Cd) exposure has been associated with adverse birth outcomes, but the findings of previous studies are inconsistent. We measured Cd concentrations in urine samples at or near 13, 24, and 35 gestational weeks from 282 women in Wuhan, China. We used generalized estimating equation models to assess the associations between maternal creatinine adjusted urinary Cd concentrations at each trimester and birth size. A significant inverse association was observed between higher maternal Cd levels measured during the 1st trimester and birth size in girls. For each log unit increase in Cd (µg/g creatinine) levels from the 1st trimester, there was a decrease in birth weight by 116.99 g (95% confidence interval (CI): ?208.87, ?25.11 g). The Cd levels from the 1st and 2nd trimesters were also borderline significantly associated with ponderal index in girls. Joint estimation of trimester-specific effects suggested that associations with Cd levels for ponderal index ( p int = 0.02) were significantly different across trimesters, and differences for effects across trimesters for birth weight were marginally significant ( p int = 0.08) in girls. No significant associations were observed between Cd levels from any trimester and birth size in boys. Maternal Cd exposure during earlier periods of pregnancy may have a larger impact on delayed fetal growth.

Keywords: cadmium; birth weight; fetal exposure; critical window; epidemiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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