Prenatal Environmental Metal Exposure and Preterm Birth: A Scoping Review

Rasheda Khanam, Ishaan Kumar, Opeyemi Oladapo-Shittu, Claire Twose, Ashraful Islam Asmd, Shyam S. Biswal, Rubhana Raqib and Abdullah H. Baqui
Additional contact information
Rasheda Khanam: International Center for Maternal and Newborn Health, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Ishaan Kumar: Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
Opeyemi Oladapo-Shittu: International Center for Maternal and Newborn Health, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Claire Twose: Welch Medical Library, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Ashraful Islam Asmd: Projahnmo Research Foundation, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh
Shyam S. Biswal: Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Rubhana Raqib: International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
Abdullah H. Baqui: International Center for Maternal and Newborn Health, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: Preterm birth (PTB) and its complications are the leading causes of under-five year old child deaths, accounting worldwide for an estimated one million deaths annually. The etiology of PTB is complex and multifactorial. Exposures to environmental metals or metalloids are pervasive and prenatal exposures to them are considered important in the etiology of PTB. We conducted a scoping review to determine the extent of prenatal exposures to four metals/metalloids (lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic) and their association with PTB. We reviewed original research studies published in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, POPLINE and the WHO regional indexes from 2000 to 2019; 36 articles were retained for full text review. We documented a higher incidence of PTB with lead and cadmium exposures. The findings for mercury and arsenic exposures were inconclusive. Metal-induced oxidative stress in the placenta, epigenetic modification, inflammation, and endocrine disruptions are the most common pathways through which heavy metals and metalloids affect placental functions leading to PTB. Most of the studies were from the high-income countries, reflecting the need for additional data from low-middle-income countries, where PTB rates are higher and prenatal exposure to metals are likely to be just as high, if not higher.

Keywords: lead; mercury; cadmium; arsenic; prenatal exposure; preterm birth; scoping review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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