BACKGROUND: Among highly exposed populations, arsenic exposure in utero may be associated with decreased birth weight, however less is known about potential effects of arsenic exposure in urban communities without contaminated sources such as drinking water. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the association of blood arsenic levels with birth weight-for-gestational age categories within a prospective birth cohort study. DESIGN/ METHODS: We analyzed 730 mother-infant dyads within the Programming Research in Obesity, GRowth, Environment and Social Stressors (PROGRESS) cohort in Mexico City. Total arsenic was measured in maternal blood samples from the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, at delivery, as well as from infant umbilical cord blood samples. Multivariable, multinomial logistic regression models adjusting for maternal age at enrollment, pre-pregnancy body mass index, parity, infant sex, socioeconomic position, and prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure were used to calculate odds ratios of small-for-gestational age (<10th percentile, SGA) and large-for-gestational age (>90th percentile, LGA) compared to appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) per unit increase of log-transformed arsenic. RESULTS: Median (IQR) blood arsenic levels for maternal second trimester were 0.72 (0.33) μg/L, maternal third trimester 0.75 (0.41) μg/L, maternal at delivery 0.85 (0.70) μg/L, and infant cord 0.78 (0.65) μg/L. Maternal delivery and infant cord blood samples were most strongly correlated (spearman r = 0.65, p < 0.0001). Maternal arsenic levels at delivery were associated with significantly higher odds of both SGA (adj. OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.08-1.93) and LGA (adj. OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.12-3.67) compared to AGA. Results were similar for cord blood. There were 130 SGA infants and 22 LGA infants. Earlier in pregnancy, there were no significant associations of arsenic and birth weight-for-gestational age. However, we observed non-significantly higher odds of LGA among women with higher arsenic levels in the 3rd trimester (adj. OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 0.67-3.12). CONCLUSION: We found that in a Mexico City birth cohort, higher maternal blood arsenic levels at delivery were associated with higher odds of both SGA and LGA. However, sources and species of arsenic were not known and the number of LGA infants was small, limiting the interpretation of this finding and highlighting the importance of future large studies to incorporate arsenic speciation. If our findings were confirmed in studies that addressed these limitations, determining modifiable factors that could be mitigated, such as sources of arsenic exposure, may be important for optimizing fetal growth to improve long-term health of children.
BACKGROUND: Among highly exposed populations, arsenic exposure in utero may be associated with decreased birth weight, however less is known about potential effects of arsenic exposure in urban communities without contaminated sources such as drinking water. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the association of blood arsenic levels with birth weight-for-gestational age categories within a prospective birth cohort study. DESIGN/ METHODS: We analyzed 730 mother-infant dyads within the Programming Research in Obesity, GRowth, Environment and Social Stressors (PROGRESS) cohort in Mexico City. Total arsenic was measured in maternal blood samples from the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, at delivery, as well as from infant umbilical cord blood samples. Multivariable, multinomial logistic regression models adjusting for maternal age at enrollment, pre-pregnancy body mass index, parity, infant sex, socioeconomic position, and prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure were used to calculate odds ratios of small-for-gestational age (<10th percentile, SGA) and large-for-gestational age (>90th percentile, LGA) compared to appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) per unit increase of log-transformed arsenic. RESULTS: Median (IQR) blood arsenic levels for maternal second trimester were 0.72 (0.33) μg/L, maternal third trimester 0.75 (0.41) μg/L, maternal at delivery 0.85 (0.70) μg/L, and infant cord 0.78 (0.65) μg/L. Maternal delivery and infant cord blood samples were most strongly correlated (spearman r = 0.65, p < 0.0001). Maternal arsenic levels at delivery were associated with significantly higher odds of both SGA (adj. OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.08-1.93) and LGA (adj. OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.12-3.67) compared to AGA. Results were similar for cord blood. There were 130 SGA infants and 22 LGA infants. Earlier in pregnancy, there were no significant associations of arsenic and birth weight-for-gestational age. However, we observed non-significantly higher odds of LGA among women with higher arsenic levels in the 3rd trimester (adj. OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 0.67-3.12). CONCLUSION: We found that in a Mexico City birth cohort, higher maternal blood arsenic levels at delivery were associated with higher odds of both SGA and LGA. However, sources and species of arsenic were not known and the number of LGA infants was small, limiting the interpretation of this finding and highlighting the importance of future large studies to incorporate arsenic speciation. If our findings were confirmed in studies that addressed these limitations, determining modifiable factors that could be mitigated, such as sources of arsenic exposure, may be important for optimizing fetal growth to improve long-term health of children.
Authors: R A Schoof; L J Yost; J Eickhoff; E A Crecelius; D W Cragin; D M Meacher; D B Menzel Journal: Food Chem Toxicol Date: 1999-08 Impact factor: 6.023
Authors: Nia McRae; Chris Gennings; Nadya Rivera Rivera; Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz; Ivan Pantic; Chitra Amarasiriwardena; Lourdes Schnaas; Rosalind Wright; Martha M Tellez-Rojo; Robert O Wright; Maria José Rosa Journal: Environ Res Date: 2021-11-27 Impact factor: 6.498
Authors: Caitlin G Howe; Shohreh F Farzan; Erika Garcia; Thomas Jursa; Ramsunder Iyer; Kiros Berhane; Thomas A Chavez; Tahlia L Hodes; Brendan H Grubbs; William E Funk; Donald R Smith; Theresa M Bastain; Carrie V Breton Journal: Environ Res Date: 2020-02-27 Impact factor: 6.498
Authors: Diego Fano; Cinthya Vásquez-Velásquez; Julio Aguilar; Matthew O Gribble; Jeffrey K Wickliffe; Maureen Y Lichtveld; Kyle Steenland; Gustavo F Gonzales Journal: Expo Health Date: 2019-12-07 Impact factor: 8.835
Authors: Emily C Moody; Elena Colicino; Robert O Wright; Ezekiel Mupere; Ericka G Jaramillo; Chitra Amarasiriwardena; Sarah E Cusick Journal: PLoS One Date: 2020-05-15 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Sabine Guth; Stephanie Hüser; Angelika Roth; Gisela Degen; Patrick Diel; Karolina Edlund; Gerhard Eisenbrand; Karl-Heinz Engel; Bernd Epe; Tilman Grune; Volker Heinz; Thomas Henle; Hans-Ulrich Humpf; Henry Jäger; Hans-Georg Joost; Sabine E Kulling; Alfonso Lampen; Angela Mally; Rosemarie Marchan; Doris Marko; Eva Mühle; Michael A Nitsche; Elke Röhrdanz; Richard Stadler; Christoph van Thriel; Stefan Vieths; Rudi F Vogel; Edmund Wascher; Carsten Watzl; Ute Nöthlings; Jan G Hengstler Journal: Arch Toxicol Date: 2021-06-06 Impact factor: 5.153