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Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Association between lead and cadmium and reproductive hormones in peripubertal U.S. girls
Audra L Gollenberg1, Mary L Hediger, Peter A Lee
1Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Insights
Lead and cadmium exposure in young girls is linked to lower inhibin B hormone levels, suggesting potential delays in puberty. Higher cadmium concentrations may amplify these effects, highlighting the reproductive risks for children.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Reproductive Toxicology
- Pediatric Endocrinology
Background:
- Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are recognized reproductive toxicants.
- Their impact on hormone production during peripubertal development is not well-established.
- This study investigates these effects in a nationally representative sample of children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between blood lead and urinary cadmium concentrations and reproductive hormones inhibin B and luteinizing hormone (LH).
- Focus on girls aged 6-11 years using data from NHANES III.
- Assess potential impacts on pubertal development markers.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of 705 girls from NHANES III (1988-1994).
- Measurement of blood Pb and urinary Cd levels.
- Assay of serum inhibin B and LH concentrations; logistic regression used to determine associations with pubertal onset and hormone levels.
Main Results:
- High blood lead (≥ 5 µg/dL) was inversely associated with inhibin B levels.
- Girls with low lead levels had significantly higher inhibin B.
- Combined high lead and cadmium exposure showed a stronger inverse association with inhibin B.
Conclusions:
- Elevated lead exposure is inversely associated with inhibin B, a marker of ovarian follicular development.
- Cadmium may exacerbate the negative effects of lead on reproductive hormones.
- These findings highlight lead and cadmium as significant reproductive toxicants in young girls.
Background:
Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are known reproductive toxicants thought to disrupt hormone production throughout sensitive developmental windows, although this has not been previously examined in nationally representative peripubertal children.
Objectives:
We examined the association between blood Pb and urinary Cd concentrations and the reproductive hormones inhibin B and luteinizing hormone (LH) in girls 6-11 years of age who participated in the cross-sectional Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) (1988-1994).
Methods:
Pb (micrograms per deciliter) was measured in whole blood, and Cd was measured in urine (nanograms per milliliter). Inhibin B (picograms per milliliter) and LH (milli-International units per milliliter) were measured in residual sera for 705 girls. Survey logistic regression was used to estimate associations with pubertal onset based on inhibin B concentration > 35 pg/mL or LH concentration > 0.4 mIU/mL, and multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the association between Pb and increasing categories of hormone concentrations.
Results:
High Pb (≥ 5 µg/dL) was inversely associated with inhibin B > 35 pg/mL [odds ratio (OR) = 0.26; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.11-0.60; compared with Pb < 1 µg/dL]. At 10 and 11 years of age, girls with low Pb (< 1 µg/dL) had significantly higher inhibin B than did girls with moderate (1-4.99 µg/dL) or high Pb (≥ 5 µg/dL). In the subsample of 260 girls with levels of inhibin B above the level of detection and using survey regression modeling, inhibin B levels were lower among girls with both high Pb and high Cd (ß= -0.52; 95% CI, -0.09 to -1.04) than among girls with high Pb alone (ß= -0.35; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.57), relative to girls with low Pb and low Cd.
Conclusions:
Higher Pb was inversely associated with inhibin B, a marker of follicular development, and estimated effects suggestive of pubertal delays appeared to be stronger in the context of higher Cd concentrations. These data underscore the importance of Pb and Cd as reproductive toxicants for young girls.
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