Environmental and Cancer Epidemiology Unit, National Centre for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health (Instituto de Salud Carlos III - ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
BMC Public Health. 2013 Sep 12;13:841. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-841.
In Spain, few studies have evaluated prenatal exposure to heavy metals. The objective of this study was to describe lead, mercury and cadmium concentrations in blood from a sample of newborn-mother-father trios, as well as to investigate the association between metals in cord blood and parental variables. We also explored the relationship between cord blood metal concentrations and child characteristics at birth.
Metal correlations among family members were assessed using Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient. Linear regression was used to explore the association between parental variables and log-transformed cord blood lead and cord blood mercury concentrations. In the case of cadmium, tobit regression was used due to the existence of samples below the detection limit. The association between cord blood metal concentrations and child characteristics at birth was evaluated using linear regression.
Geometric means for lead, mercury and cadmium were 14.09 μg/L, 6.72 μg/L and 0.27 μg/L in newborns; 19.80 μg/L, 3.90 μg/L and 0.53 μg/L in pregnant women; and 33.00 μg/L, 5.38 μg/L and 0.49 μg/L in men. Positive correlations were found between metal concentrations among members of the trio. Lead and cadmium concentrations were 15% and 22% higher in newborns from mothers who smoked during pregnancy, while mercury concentrations were 25% higher in newborns from mothers with greater fish intake. Cord-blood lead levels showed seasonal periodicity, with lower concentrations observed in winter. Cord blood cadmium concentrations over 0.29 μg/L were associated with lower 1-minute and 5-minute Apgar scores.
These results reinforce the need to establish biomonitoring programs in Spain, and provide support for tobacco smoke and fish consumption as important preventable sources of heavy metal exposure in newborns. Additionally, our findings support the hypothesis that cadmium exposure might be deleterious to fetal development.
在西班牙，很少有研究评估重金属在产前的暴露情况。本研究的目的是描述新生儿-母亲-父亲三组合血液中的铅、汞和镉浓度，并探讨脐带血中金属与父母变量之间的关系。我们还探索了脐带血金属浓度与出生时儿童特征之间的关系。
使用 Spearman 秩相关系数评估家庭成员之间的金属相关性。线性回归用于探索父母变量与脐带血铅和脐带血汞浓度的对数转换之间的关系。在镉的情况下，由于存在低于检测限的样本，因此使用 Tobit 回归。使用线性回归评估脐带血金属浓度与出生时儿童特征之间的关系。
新生儿、孕妇和男性的血铅、汞和镉几何均值分别为 14.09μg/L、6.72μg/L 和 0.27μg/L、19.80μg/L、3.90μg/L 和 0.53μg/L、33.00μg/L、5.38μg/L 和 0.49μg/L。三组合成员之间的金属浓度存在正相关。与不吸烟的孕妇所生的新生儿相比，怀孕期间吸烟的孕妇所生的新生儿的血铅和镉浓度分别高 15%和 22%，而汞浓度高 25%。脐带血铅水平具有季节性周期性，冬季浓度较低。脐带血镉浓度超过 0.29μg/L 与 1 分钟和 5 分钟 Apgar 评分较低有关。
这些结果加强了在西班牙建立生物监测计划的必要性，并为吸烟和食用鱼类作为新生儿重金属暴露的重要可预防来源提供了支持。此外，我们的发现支持了镉暴露可能对胎儿发育有害的假说。
