A nested case-control study of prenatal vanadium exposure and low birthweight

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Reproductive Toxicology
• Occupational Medicine

Background:

• Human exposure to vanadium occurs via food, water, and air.
• Animal studies suggest vanadium has fetotoxic and developmental toxicity.
• Previous epidemiological studies linked vanadium exposure to reduced birthweight.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between prenatal vanadium exposure and adverse birth outcomes.
• To determine if maternal urinary vanadium levels correlate with low birthweight (LBW).

Main Methods:

• A nested case-control study of 816 participants (204 LBW cases, 612 controls) from the Healthy Baby Cohort.
• Maternal urine samples collected before delivery were analyzed for vanadium concentration using ICP-MS.
• Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Main Results:

• Median urinary vanadium concentration was higher in LBW cases (3.04 μg/g creatinine) than controls (1.93 μg/g creatinine).
• A significant positive trend was observed between maternal urinary vanadium levels and LBW odds.
• Mothers in the highest tertile of urinary vanadium had 2.23-fold increased odds of LBW (adjusted OR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.23, 4.05).

Conclusions:

• Maternal urinary vanadium levels are associated with an increased risk of low birthweight.
• These findings suggest vanadium may negatively affect fetal development.
• Results contribute to biological monitoring data for urinary vanadium in pregnant women.