A case-control study of maternal exposure to chromium and infant low birth weight in China.
Exposure to chromium is increasing due to environmental pollution from industrial processes. Several epidemiological studies have investigated chromium exposure and reproductive outcomes, but few studies have investigated the association of chromium exposure and low birth weight (LBW). This study was designed to investigate whether maternal exposure to chromium during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of LBW. Chromium concentrations in maternal urine samples collected at delivery were measured in 204 LBW cases and 612 matched controls recruited between 2012 and 2014 in Hubei Province, China. Risk of LBW was associated with higher levels of chromium in maternal urine [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.77 for the medium tertile, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95, 3.29; adjusted OR = 2.48 for the highest tertile, 95% CI: 1.33, 4.61; P trend = 0.01]. The association was more pronounced among female infants (adjusted OR = 3.67 for the highest tertile, 95% CI: 1.50, 8.97) than among male infants (adjusted OR = 1.22 for the highest tertile, 95% CI = 0.48, 3.11) (p heterogeneity = 0.06). Our findings suggest that maternal exposure to higher levels of chromium during pregnancy may potentially increase the risk of delivering LBW infants, particularly for female infants.
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Wei
W
Xia
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Jie
J
Hu
Wuhan Medical and Health Center for Women and Children, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Bin
B
Zhang
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Yuanyuan
Y
Li
Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Portland, ME, USA.
John Pierce
JP
Wise
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
Bryan A
BA
Bassig
Wuhan Medical and Health Center for Women and Children, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Aifen
A
Zhou
Department of Epidemiology, Brown Universtiy, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
David A
DA
Savitz
Wuhan Medical and Health Center for Women and Children, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Chao
C
Xiong
Wuhan Medical and Health Center for Women and Children, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Jinzhu
J
Zhao
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Xiaofu
X
du
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Yanqiu
Y
Zhou
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Xinyun
X
Pan
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Jie
J
Yang
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Chuansha
C
Wu
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Minmin
M
Jiang
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
Yang
Y
Peng
Department of Epidemiology, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Zhengmin
Z
Qian
Department of Epidemiology, Brown Universtiy, Providence, RI 02903, USA. Electronic address: tongzhang_zheng@brown.edu.
Tongzhang
T
Zheng
Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China. Electronic address: xust@hust.edu.cn.
Shunqing
S
Xu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002857:Chromium / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000652:urine; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D002857:Chromium
Chromium; Low birth weight; Maternal urine; Prenatal exposure