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Updated: Dec 8, 2025

Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Association between blood lead level during pregnancy and birth weight: A meta-analysis
1Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Background:
We aimed to provide a quantitative summary of evidence for a relationship between prenatal lead (Pb) exposure and birth weight.
Methods:
PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for eligible epidemiological studies. We transformed findings in eligible studies with different effect-size metrics to standardized regression coefficients, and used fixed-effects or random-effects models to assess the pooled effects of prenatal Pb exposure on birth weight.
Results:
There was a significant negative association between prenatal Pb exposure and birth weight. Birth weight reduction was associated with elevated lead levels in maternal blood (β = -0.094; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.157 to -0.030) and cord blood (β = -0.120; 95% CI: -0.239 to -0.001).
Conclusions:
This meta-analysis is the first to provide a quantitative assessment of Pb exposure during pregnancy and an increased risk of lower birth weight.
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