Lead: Pregnancy

Description

Lead: Pregnancy

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Big idea: A woman may have lead in her blood due to ingestion or inhalation over her lifetime.  In pregnancy, lead stored in the bones moves into mother’s blood stream.

Talking points:

• A 2012 study involving UNC researchers found that samples taken from 211 pregnant women in six NC counties all contained some lead – between 0.19 and 7.72 ug/dL
• CDC recommends maternal levels lower than 5.0 ug/dL to protect fetal health
• Lead has been detected in the fetal brain as early as the end of the first trimester

Lead is associated with higher risk of:

• Gestational hypertension (but not preeclampsia), even at levels < 5 µg/dl (Sower, 2002)
• Miscarriage at BLLs as low as 5-9 µg/dl (Borja-Aburto, 1999)
• Lower birth weight (Gonzalez-Cassio, 1997)
• Declines in intelligence (Schass, 2006; Wasserman, 2000)
• Preterm birth (Jelliffe-Pawlowski, 2006)

Most common sources of lead in pregnant women:

• Recent immigration to U.S. (highest concern: Mexico, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India)
• Pica
• Use of alternative remedies, items used for worship, or cosmetics
• Occupational exposure
• Home exposures
• Affected by nutritional status & cumulative life-time exposures

Pica 

• Common world wide practice
• Help with stomach upset
• Eaten for taste and texture
• Harmful if substance consumed contains lead
• Paint chips, pottery, clay & soil
• Some of the highest BLLs found in women are associated with pica

Sources:
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Committee on Obstetric Practice, Lead Screening During Pregnancy and Lactation, August 2012,
Sanders et al., PLoS One, 2012