Estimating Effects of Arsenic Exposure During Pregnancy on Perinatal Outcomes in a Bangladeshi Cohort
- PMID: 26583609
- PMCID: PMC4733817
- DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000416
Estimating Effects of Arsenic Exposure During Pregnancy on Perinatal Outcomes in a Bangladeshi Cohort
Abstract
Background: The relationship between arsenic and birth weight is not well understood. The objective was to evaluate the causal relationship between prenatal arsenic exposure and birth weight considering the potential mediation effects of gestational age and maternal weight gain during pregnancy using structural equation models.
Methods: A prospectively enrolled cohort of pregnant women was recruited in Bangladesh from 2008 to 2011. Arsenic was measured in personal drinking water at the time of enrollment (gestational age <16 weeks, N = 1,140) and in toenails collected ≤1 month postpartum (N = 624) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Structural equation models estimated the direct and indirect effects of arsenic on birth weight with gestational age and maternal weight gain considered as mediating variables.
Results: Every unit increase in natural log water arsenic was indirectly associated with decreased birth weight (β = -19.17 g, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -24.64, -13.69) after adjusting for other risk factors. This association was mediated entirely through gestational age (β = -17.37 g, 95% CI: -22.77, -11.98) and maternal weight gain during pregnancy (β = -1.80 g, 95% CI: -3.72, 0.13). When exposure was modeled using toenail arsenic concentrations, similar results were observed. Every increase in natural log toenail arsenic was indirectly associated with decreased birth weight (β = -15.72 g, 95% CI: -24.52, -6.91) which was mediated through gestational age (β = -13.59 g, 95% CI: -22.10, -5.07) and maternal weight gain during pregnancy (β = -2.13 g, 95% CI: -5.24, 0.96).
Conclusion: Arsenic exposure during pregnancy was associated with lower birth weight. The effect of arsenic on birth weight appears to be mediated mainly through decreasing gestational age and to a lesser extent by lower maternal weight gain during pregnancy.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Prenatal arsenic exposure, child marriage, and pregnancy weight gain: Associations with preterm birth in Bangladesh.Environ Int. 2018 Mar;112:23-32. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.12.004. Epub 2017 Dec 12. Environ Int. 2018. PMID: 29245039 Free PMC article.
-
Investigating causal relation between prenatal arsenic exposure and birthweight: Are smaller infants more susceptible?Environ Int. 2017 Nov;108:32-40. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.07.026. Epub 2017 Aug 5. Environ Int. 2017. PMID: 28787626 Free PMC article.
-
Mediating role of arsenic in the relationship between diet and pregnancy outcomes: prospective birth cohort in Bangladesh.Environ Health. 2019 Feb 6;18(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s12940-019-0450-1. Environ Health. 2019. PMID: 30728020 Free PMC article.
-
Maternal arsenic exposure and birth outcomes: a comprehensive review of the epidemiologic literature focused on drinking water.Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2014 Sep;217(7):709-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2014.03.004. Epub 2014 Mar 21. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2014. PMID: 24713268 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Metformin for women who are overweight or obese during pregnancy for improving maternal and infant outcomes.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Jul 24;7(7):CD010564. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010564.pub2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018. PMID: 30039871 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food.EFSA J. 2024 Jan 18;22(1):e8488. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8488. eCollection 2024 Jan. EFSA J. 2024. PMID: 38239496 Free PMC article.
-
Associations between area-level arsenic exposure and adverse birth outcomes: An Echo-wide cohort analysis.Environ Res. 2023 Nov 1;236(Pt 2):116772. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116772. Epub 2023 Jul 28. Environ Res. 2023. PMID: 37517496
-
Long-term effects of prenatal arsenic exposure from gestational day 9 to birth on lung, heart, and immune outcomes in the C57BL/6 mouse model.Toxicol Lett. 2023 Jul 1;383:17-32. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2023.05.011. Epub 2023 May 26. Toxicol Lett. 2023. PMID: 37244563 Free PMC article.
-
Maternal Folate Status and the Relation between Gestational Arsenic Exposure and Child Health Outcomes.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 9;19(18):11332. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191811332. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022. PMID: 36141604 Free PMC article.
-
Arsenic in private well water and birth outcomes in the United States.Environ Int. 2022 May;163:107176. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107176. Epub 2022 Mar 26. Environ Int. 2022. PMID: 35349912 Free PMC article.
References
-
- World Health Organization. Arsenic in Drinking Water. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 1999. p. 210.
-
- Amini M, Abbaspour KC, Berg M, et al. Statistical modeling of global geogenic arsenic contamination in groundwater. Environ Sci Technol. 2008;42:3669–3675. - PubMed
-
- Ma R, Shen J, Wu J, Tang Z, Shen Q, Zhao FJ. Impact of agronomic practices on arsenic accumulation and speciation in rice grain. Environ Pollut. 2014;194:217–223. - PubMed
-
- Chowdhury TR, Basu GK, Mandal BK, et al. Arsenic poisoning in the Ganges delta. Nature. 1999;401:545–546; discussion 546. - PubMed
-
- Kinniburgh DG, Smedley PL. British Geological Survey Technical Report WC/00/19. Keyworth, UK: British Geological Survey; 2001. Arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh.