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Maternal arsenic exposure associated with low birth weight in Bangladesh
Karen L Huyck1, Molly L Kile, Golam Mahiuddin
1Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Objective:
To characterize the effects of maternal arsenic exposure on birth weight.
Methods:
Hair, toenail, and drinking water samples were collected from pregnant women (n = 52) at multiple time points during pregnancy and from their newborns after birth. Total arsenic was measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The association between arsenic and birth weight was investigated using linear and logistic regression models.
Results:
Maternal hair arsenic measured early in pregnancy was associated with decreased birth weight (beta = -193.5 +/- 90.0 g, P = 0.04). Maternal hair and drinking water arsenic levels measured at first prenatal visit were significantly correlated with newborn hair arsenic level (rho = 0.32, P = 0.04 and rho = 0.31, P = 0.04).
Conclusions:
Results suggest that maternal arsenic exposure early in pregnancy negatively affects newborn birth weight and that maternal hair provides the best integrated measure of arsenic exposure.
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