Determinants of elevated blood lead during pregnancy in a population surrounding a lead smelter in Kosovo, Yugoslavia

Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.908995· OSTI ID:5718243

Graziano, J H; Factor-Litvak, P; Murphy, M J; Zhao, Yuhua; Lolacono, N J ^[1]; Popovac, D; Ahmedi, X; Zvicer, Z; Nenezic, D U ^[2]; Shrout, P; Kline, J; Stein, Z ^[3]; Mehmeti, A; Rajovic, B ^[4]

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1. Columbia Univ., New York, NY (USA)
2. Univ of Pristina Medical School (Yugoslavia)
3. Columbia Univ., New York, NY (USA) New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York (USA)
4. Medicinski Centar, Titova Mitrovica (Yugoslavia)

The authors are prospectively examining the relation between environmental lead exposure and pregnancy outcome in cohorts of women exposed to a wide range of air lead concentrations. Titova Mitrovica, Yugoslavia, is the site of a large lead smelter, refinery, and battery factory. At midpregnancy, 602 women in T. Mitrovica and 900 women in Pristina, a non-lead-exposed control town, were interviewed. Blood was obtained for blood lead (PbB), hemoglobin erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and serum ferritin measurements. Women were seen again at delivery, at which time maternal and umbilical cord blood samples were obtained. While many demographic and social characteristics were similar across the two towns, women in Pristina were more likely to report employment outside the home, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use during pregnancy. As expected, PbB levels were substantially higher in the smelter town. Within T. Mitrovica, distance between the home and the smelter was the most important predictor of PbB at mid-pregnancy and delivery. Husband's employment in the lead industry was associated with a significant increase in maternal PbB levels independent of place of residence. Overall, the placenta was a poor barrier to lead; the relationship between maternal PbB and umbilical cord PbB was linear across a wide range of PbB levels.

• OSTI ID: 5718243
• Journal Information: Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA), Journal Name: Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA) Vol. 89; ISSN 0091-6765; ISSN EVHPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BLOOD CHEMISTRY
BODY FLUIDS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
EASTERN EUROPE
ERYTHROCYTES
EUROPE
FEMALES
FETAL MEMBRANES
GLOBINS
HEMOGLOBIN
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
LEAD COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
MAN
MATERIALS
MEMBRANES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PIGMENTS
PLACENTA
POPULATIONS
PORPHYRINS
PREGNANCY
PRIMATES
PROTEINS
REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS
SMELTERS
VERTEBRATES
WOMEN
YUGOSLAVIA