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Han I, Whitworth KW, Zhang X, Afshar M, Berens PD, Symanski E. Characterization of urinary concentrations of heavy metals among socioeconomically disadvantaged black pregnant women. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2020; 192:200. [PMID: 32107644 PMCID: PMC7046578 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-8163-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to characterize exposures to metals using biological samples collected on socioeconomically disadvantaged black pregnant women. We obtained 131 anonymous urine samples provided by black pregnant women visiting a Medicaid-serving prenatal clinic in Houston, TX, from March 27, 2017 to April 11, 2017. We analyzed urine samples for 15 metals including cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) and for creatinine and cotinine. We found that median concentrations of zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), and aluminum (Al) among black pregnant women in this study were 1.5 to 3 times higher than levels reported among a cohort of well-educated non-Hispanic white pregnancy planners. We also observed elevated levels of urinary Cd and antimony (Sb) as compared with those reported for a nationally representative sample of adult women in the USA. Based on the results of an exploratory factor analysis, potential sources of metal exposures in this population may arise in home environments or be due to diet, industrial and natural sources, or traffic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inkyu Han
- Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, UTHealth School of Public Health, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Kristina W Whitworth
- Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, UTHealth School of Public Health in San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 77829, USA
| | - Xueying Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, UTHealth School of Public Health, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Masoud Afshar
- Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, UTHealth School of Public Health, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Pamela D Berens
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UTHealth McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Elaine Symanski
- Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
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Rammah A, Whitworth KW, Han I, Chan W, Symanski E. PM 2.5 metal constituent exposure and stillbirth risk in Harris County, Texas. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 176:108516. [PMID: 31195296 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.05.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
There is limited evidence on the role of exposure to chemical constituents of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in risk for stillbirth. Thus, we conducted a case-control study in Harris County, Texas between 2008 and 2013, utilizing a 6:1 ratio of controls to individually matched cases. We linked birth and fetal death records with PM2.5 data from a single air monitoring station and estimated maternal exposures to metal constituents of PM2.5 over the risk period (defined by the gestational length of each case). We applied conditional logistic regression and modeled air pollutant exposures as continuous variables. We observed null associations for most metal constituents (Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se and Ti). However, we observed a modest increase in risk for stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.20) associated with a 0.007 μg/m3 interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure to zinc (Zn) PM2.5. This study adds to the scarce literature evaluating associations between PM2.5 metal constituents and stillbirth and points to the need for further research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amal Rammah
- Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH), UTHealth School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Kristina W Whitworth
- Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH), UTHealth School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, UTHealth School of Public Health in San Antonio, 7411 John Smith Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Inkyu Han
- Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH), UTHealth School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Wenyaw Chan
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, UTHealth School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Elaine Symanski
- Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH), UTHealth School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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