Geospatial Distributions of Lead Levels Found in Human Hair and Preterm Birth in San Francisco Neighborhoods

Chinomnso N. Okorie, Marilyn D. Thomas, Rebecca M. Méndez, Erendira C. Di Giuseppe, Nina S. Roberts and Leticia Márquez-Magaña
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Chinomnso N. Okorie: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
Marilyn D. Thomas: Departments of Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA
Rebecca M. Méndez: Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
Erendira C. Di Giuseppe: Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
Nina S. Roberts: Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
Leticia Márquez-Magaña: Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: In San Francisco (SF), many environmental factors drive the unequal burden of preterm birth outcomes for communities of color. Here, we examine the association between human exposure to lead (Pb) and preterm birth (PTB) in 19 racially diverse SF zip codes. Pb concentrations were measured in 109 hair samples donated by 72 salons and barbershops in 2018–2019. Multi-method data collection included randomly selecting hair salons stratified by zip code, administering demographic surveys, and measuring Pb in hair samples as a biomarker of environmental exposure to heavy metals. Concentrations of Pb were measured by atomic emission spectrometry. Aggregate neighborhood Pb levels were linked to PTB and demographic data using STATA 16 SE (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, USA). Pb varied by zip code ( p < 0.001) and correlated with PTB ( p < 0.01). Increases in unadjusted Pb concentration predicted an increase in PTB (β = 0.003; p < 0.001) and after adjusting for poverty (β = 0.002; p < 0.001). Confidence intervals contained the null after further adjustment for African American/Black population density ( p = 0.16), suggesting that race is more indicative of high rates of PTB than poverty. In conclusion, Pb was found in every hair sample collected from SF neighborhoods. The highest concentrations were found in predominately African American/Black and high poverty neighborhoods, necessitating public health guidelines to eliminate this environmental injustice.

Keywords: lead exposure; preterm birth; environmental racism; heavy metals; environmental pollution; urban contaminants; environmental justice; African American/Blacks; hair samples (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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