Exposure to multiple trace elements and miscarriage during early pregnancy: A mixtures approach

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Reproductive Toxicology
• Trace Element Analysis

Background:

• Limited evidence exists on combined trace element exposure and miscarriage.
• Understanding joint effects of toxic and essential elements is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between individual and mixed trace element exposures and miscarriage.
• To differentiate the roles of toxic versus essential elements in miscarriage risk.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study measuring whole blood element levels using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
• Logistic regression for individual element analysis.
• Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), weighted quantile sum regression (WQS), and grouped weighted quantile sum (GWQS) for multi-element exposure assessment.

Main Results:

• Barium (toxic) showed a positive association with miscarriage (OR: 5.45).
• Rubidium and copper (essential) exhibited negative associations (ORs: 0.32 and 0.28, respectively).
• Multi-element analysis confirmed barium's role and the protective effect of essential elements, particularly rubidium.

Conclusions:

• Toxic trace element barium is positively associated with miscarriage.
• Essential trace elements, notably rubidium and copper, are negatively associated with miscarriage.
• Findings underscore the differential impact of trace elements on pregnancy outcomes.