title: Environmental exposure to arsenic and cadmium during pregnancy and fetal size: a longitudinal study in rural Bangladesh.
abstract: Prenatal exposures to arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) have been associated with decreased size at birth. We here studied associations of prenatal As and Cd exposures with multiple fetal size parameters measured by ultrasound in gestational week (GW) 14 and 30 in a population-based mother-child cohort in rural Bangladesh. We measured As (n=1929) and Cd (n=1616) in urine during pregnancy. In the longitudinal evaluation of combined exposure, urinary Cd (UCd) showed an inverted U-shaped association (turning-point 1.5 μg Cd/L) with all fetal size parameters, while UAs showed no significant association. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that associations with UCd were somewhat stronger in early gestation. Stratification indicated stronger associations between UCd and fetal size in girls than in boys, and in poorer than in richer families, while UAs was weakly associated with fetal size in boys. In conclusion, particularly Cd, but also As, appeared to influence fetal development in a sex-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kippler
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wagatsuma
authors.forename: Anisur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Barbro
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nermell
authors.forename: Lars-Åke
authors.initials: LÅ
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: Rubhana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raqib
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vahter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D001459:Bangladesh; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000254:growth & development; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D006257:Head / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium; D001151:Arsenic