Maternal Exposure to Potentially Toxic Metals and Birth Weight: Preliminary Results from the DSAN-12M Birth Cohort in the Recôncavo Baiano, Brazil

Homègnon A. Ferréol Bah (), Nathália R. dos Santos, Erival A. Gomes Junior, Daisy O. Costa, Victor O. Martinez, Elis Macêdo Pires, João V. Araújo Santana, Filipe da Silva Cerqueira and José A. Menezes-Filho
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Homègnon A. Ferréol Bah: Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40110-040, Brazil
Nathália R. dos Santos: Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-115, Brazil
Erival A. Gomes Junior: Graduate Program in Food Science, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-115, Brazil
Daisy O. Costa: Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-115, Brazil
Victor O. Martinez: Graduate Program in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-115, Brazil
Elis Macêdo Pires: Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-115, Brazil
João V. Araújo Santana: Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-115, Brazil
Filipe da Silva Cerqueira: Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-115, Brazil
José A. Menezes-Filho: Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40110-040, Brazil

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 13, 1-15

Abstract: Prenatal exposure to potentially toxic metals (PTM) may impair fetal growth (FG). We investigated the relationship between maternal exposure to lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and manganese (Mn) and birth weight (BW) of 74 newborns. Blood was collected during the second trimester of pregnancy to determine Pb (PbB) and Cd (CdB), while hair (MnH) and toenails (MnTn) were used for Mn. Samples were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GFAAS). Sociodemographic and BW data were collected from questionnaires and maternity records, respectively. The medians (P25th–P75th) of PbB, CdB, MnH, and MnTn were, respectively, 0.9 (0.5–1.8) µg/dL; 0.54 (0.1–0.8) µg/L; 0.18 (0.1–0.4) µg/g; and 0.65 (0.37–1.22) µg/g. The means (standard deviation) of birth weight according to sex were 3067 (426.3) and 3442 (431) grams, respectively, for girls and boys. MnTn presented an inverse correlation with the BW/gestational age ratio for girls (rho = −0.478; p = 0.018), suggesting the effect of sex modification. Although BW correlation with CdB was not statistically significant, hierarchical linear regression (beta = −2.08; 95% CI–4.58 to 0.41) suggested a fetotoxic effect. These results confirmed the threat PTMs may represent and the need for more extensive research to elucidate their role in inadequate FG in developing countries.

Keywords: potentially toxic metals (PTM); birth weight; fetal growth; sex-specific effect of PTMs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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