Placental transfer of lead, mercury, cadmium, and carbon monoxide in women. I. Comparison of the frequency distributions of the biological indices in maternal and umbilical cord blood
In 1975 and 1976 we have undertaken a survey among 500 pregnant women living in different areas of Belgium in order to evaluate the extent of exposure to heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium) during fetal life, their possible biological effects, and the epidemiological factors which may influence the intensity of exposure. Carboxyhemoglobin level was also determined. Comparison of the frequency distributions of the various hematological indices in maternal and umbilical cord blood indicates that the three heavy metals are transferred from the mother to the fetus but the barrier role of the placenta is different for the three metals. There is no barrier for the transfer of mercury, a slight one for lead, and a more important one for cadmium. This explains that the correlation found between the cadmium concentration in maternal (Cd-B) and fetal blood is much lower (although statistically significant: r = +0.38) than that found for lead and mercury (r > 0.6). For the range of blood lead concentrations (Pb-B) observed in the mothers and their newborns, there is no significant correlation between Pb-B and erythrocyte porphyrin level. On the contrary, because of its high sensitivity to lead, the erthrocyte enzyme delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase (ALAD) is negatively correlated with Pb-B in mother and newborn. The correlation is higher when ALAD activity is expressed in percent of its activity found in presence of the reactivator dithiothreitol rather than in absolute values. Carboxyhemoglobin levels (HbCO) of mother and newborn are highly correlated (r = +0.81 P < 0.001). In mother, HbCO is also slightly correlated with Cd-B (r = +0.29 P < 0.001) which suggests that both pollutants come at least partly from a similar source (smoking). Because of the different barrier effect of the placenta for CO and Cd no significant correlation between both parameters is found in newborns.
- Research Organization:
- Univ., Louvain, Belgium
- OSTI ID:
- 6652628
- Journal Information:
- Environ. Res.; (United States), Vol. 15:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CADMIUM
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
CARBON MONOXIDE
LEAD
MERCURY
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BLOOD
CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN
ENZYMES
EPIDEMIOLOGY
ERYTHROCYTES
FETUSES
HEMATOLOGY
NEONATES
PLACENTA
POLLUTION
PORPHYRINS
PREGNANCY
TOBACCO SMOKES
WOMEN
AEROSOLS
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
FEMALES
FETAL MEMBRANES
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
MAN
MEDICINE
MEMBRANES
METALS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRIMATES
RESIDUES
SMOKES
SOLS
VERTEBRATES
560306* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)
550600 - Medicine
550500 - Metabolism