title: The effects of low-level prenatal lead exposure on birth outcomes.
abstract: Exposure to lead early in life may be a risk factor for fetal growth, but little is known about the effects of low-level prenatal lead exposure on birth outcomes. We measured maternal and cord blood lead levels and examined their associations with birth outcomes. Mother-infant pairs (n = 252) were recruited from a rural area located on the south coast of Laizhou Bay between 2010 and 2011. The median levels of maternal and cord blood lead were 3.20 and 2.52 μg/dL, respectively. Increasing maternal blood lead exposure was associated with decreasing birth weight (β = -148.99; 95% CI, -286.33 to -11.66), and a significant negative relationship was found between cord blood lead levels and birth length (β = -0.84; 95% CI, -1.52 to -0.16). Low-level prenatal lead exposure may adversely affect fetal growth. These results may be important for public health and have implications regarding the recommended blood lead levels.
authors: Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Xie
authors: Guodong
authors: G
authors: Ding
authors: Chang
authors: C
authors: Cui
authors: Limei
authors: L
authors: Chen
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Gao
authors: Yijun
authors: Y
authors: Zhou
authors: Rong
authors: R
authors: Shi
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Tian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D002681:China; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007854:Lead