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Fetal and infant lead exposure: effects on growth in stature
R Shukla1, R L Bornschein, K N Dietrich
1University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health, OH 45267-0056.
Insights
High prenatal lead exposure in mothers may impact infant growth. Postnatal blood lead increases were linked to shorter stature in infants with high fetal lead exposure.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Growth and Development
- Toxicology
Background:
- Infant growth is crucial for long-term health.
- Prenatal and postnatal lead exposure are public health concerns.
- Understanding lead's impact on child development is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between postnatal blood lead levels and infant stature growth.
- To examine if maternal prenatal lead exposure modifies the effect of infant postnatal lead on growth.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 260 infants from birth to 15 months.
- Regular measurements of infant blood lead and stature.
- Maternal blood lead levels measured during pregnancy to assess fetal exposure.
Main Results:
- Infant stature growth rate was negatively associated with postnatal blood lead concentration.
- This association was significant only in infants with maternal prenatal lead levels above the median (7.7 µg/dL).
- A 10 µg/dL increase in infant blood lead from 3-15 months was associated with a 2 cm shorter stature at 15 months in this subgroup.
Conclusions:
- Postnatal lead exposure negatively impacts infant stature growth.
- The detrimental effect of postnatal lead on growth is amplified in infants with higher prenatal lead exposure.
- These findings highlight the critical importance of minimizing lead exposure in both pregnant women and infants.
Abstract:
The growth of a cohort of 260 infants was prospectively followed up from birth. Blood lead and stature measurements were obtained every 3 months until 15 months of age. Fetal lead exposure was indexed by measuring lead in maternal blood during pregnancy. A longitudinal analysis revealed that covariate adjusted growth rates in stature were negatively related to the infants' postnatal blood lead concentration, as indexed by increase in average blood lead values from 3 to 15 months. However, this relationship between growth rate and change in blood lead concentration was evidenced only among those infants whose mothers had prenatal blood lead levels greater than the maternal cohort median of 7.7 micrograms/dL is about 2 cm shorter at 15 months of age if, postnatally, the infant incurred a 10-micrograms/dL blood lead increase during the 3- to 15-month interval of life, compared with an infant who has no increase.