Concentration of lead, mercury, cadmium, aluminum, arsenic and manganese in umbilical cord blood of Jamaican newborns.
The objective of this study was to characterize the concentrations of lead, mercury, cadmium, aluminum, and manganese in umbilical cord blood of Jamaican newborns and to explore the possible association between concentrations of these elements and certain birth outcomes. Based on data from 100 pregnant mothers and their 100 newborns who were enrolled from Jamaica in 2011, the arithmetic mean (standard deviation) concentrations of cord blood lead, mercury, aluminum, and manganese were 0.8 (1.3 μg/dL), 4.4 (2.4 μg/L), 10.9 (9.2 μg/L), and 43.7 (17.7 μg/L), respectively. In univariable General Linear Models, the geometric mean cord blood aluminum concentration was higher for children whose mothers had completed their education up to high school compared to those whose mothers had any education beyond high school (12.2 μg/L vs. 6.4 μg/L; p < 0.01). After controlling for maternal education level and socio-economic status (through ownership of a family car), the cord blood lead concentration was significantly associated with head circumference (adjusted p < 0.01). Our results not only provide levels of arsenic and the aforementioned metals in cord blood that could serve as a reference for the Jamaican population, but also replicate previously reported significant associations between cord blood lead concentrations and head circumference at birth in other populations.
Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences (EHGES), University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Mohammad.H.Rahbar@uth.tmc.edu.|Division of Clinical and Translational Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Mohammad.H.Rahbar@uth.tmc.edu.|Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Component, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Mohammad.H.Rahbar@uth.tmc.edu.
Mohammad H
MH
Rahbar
Department of Child & Adolescent Health, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica. msammsvaughan@gmail.com.
Maureen
M
Samms-Vaughan
Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Component, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. aisha.s.dickerson@uth.tmc.edu.
Aisha S
AS
Dickerson
Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Component, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. manouchehr.hessabi@uth.tmc.edu.
Manouchehr
M
Hessabi
Human Genetics Center, University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. jan.bressler@uth.tmc.edu.
Jan
J
Bressler
Department of Child & Adolescent Health, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica. cooredesai@googlemail.com.
Charlene Coore
CC
Desai
Department of Child & Adolescent Health, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica. sydonniesp@gmail.com.
Sydonnie
S
Shakespeare-Pellington
Department of Child & Adolescent Health, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica. jodyreece@yahoo.com.
Jody-Ann
JA
Reece
Department of Child & Adolescent Health, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica. renee.n.morgan@gmail.com.
Renee
R
Morgan
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA. katherine.a.loveland@uth.tmc.edu.
Katherine A
KA
Loveland
Human Genetics Center, University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. megan.l.grove@uth.tmc.edu.
Megan L
ML
Grove
Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences (EHGES), University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. eric.boerwinkle@uth.tmc.edu.|Human Genetics Center, University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. eric.boerwinkle@uth.tmc.edu.
Eric
E
Boerwinkle
D000328:Adult; D000535:Aluminum / Q000097:blood*; D001151:Arsenic / Q000097:blood*; D001724:Birth Weight; D002104:Cadmium / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007563:Jamaica; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese / Q000097:blood; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D055815:Young Adult
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D002104:Cadmium; D008345:Manganese; D000535:Aluminum; D008628:Mercury; D001151:Arsenic