Maternal and umbilical cord blood levels of mercury, lead, cadmium, and essential trace elements in Arctic Canada

Walker, Jody Butler; Houseman, Jan; Seddon, Laura; McMullen, Edmund; Tofflemire, Karen; Mills, Carole; Corriveau, André; Weber, Jean-Philippe; LeBlanc, Alain; Walker, Mike; Donaldson, Shawn G.; Oostdam, Jay Van

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2005.05.006

Cited by 160 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…These are required for a variety of biological processes including carbohydrate and protein metabolism, DNA and RNA synthesis, cellular replication and differentiation, and hormone regulation [7,8,9,10]. The importance of zinc to the growth of the fetus is demonstrated by the active transport of zinc across the placenta into the fetal circulation resulting in higher cord blood concentrations compared to those in the maternal circulation [11,12,13,14]. Rodent models of severe maternal zinc deficiency show increased rates of fetal loss and congenital malformations in the surviving fetuses [15] as well as reduced fetal growth [16,17,18], lower implantation rates and impaired placental growth [19], all highlighting the teratogenic effects of zinc deficiency in pregnancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Maternal Zinc Status, Dietary Zinc Intake and Pregnancy Complications: A Systematic Review

et al. 2016

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Adequate zinc stores in the body are extremely important during periods of accelerated growth. However, zinc deficiency is common in developing countries and low maternal circulating zinc concentrations have previously been associated with pregnancy complications. We reviewed current literature assessing circulating zinc and dietary zinc intake during pregnancy and the associations with preeclampsia (PE); spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB); low birthweight (LBW); and gestational diabetes (GDM). Searches of MEDLINE; CINAHL and Scopus databases identified 639 articles and 64 studies were reviewed. In 10 out of 16 studies a difference was reported with respect to circulating zinc between women who gave birth to a LBW infant (≤2500 g) and those who gave birth to an infant of adequate weight (>2500 g), particularly in populations where inadequate zinc intake is prevalent. In 16 of our 33 studies an association was found between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and circulating zinc; particularly in women with severe PE (blood pressure ≥160/110 mmHg). No association between maternal zinc status and sPTB or GDM was seen; however; direct comparisons between the studies was difficult. Furthermore; only a small number of studies were based on women from populations where there is a high risk of zinc deficiency. Therefore; the link between maternal zinc status and pregnancy success in these populations cannot be established. Future studies should focus on those vulnerable to zinc deficiency and include dietary zinc intake as a measure of zinc status.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Maternal Zinc Status, Dietary Zinc Intake and Pregnancy Complications: A Systematic Review

et al. 2016

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“…Concentrated on Arctic regions again, this literature highlighted the contemporary complexities of “consume” in the presence of environmental contaminants in country foods, which included mercury, cadmium, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), PCBs (a group of anthropogenic industrial organochlorine chemicals) [129,130], and previously lead from lead shot fragments found in hunted game birds [131]. This was a substantive, rigorous and rapidly growing body of literature, with varying degrees of corresponding evidence presented about current understandings on how these agents impact human health when consumed in foodstuffs [130,131,132,133,134,135,136,137,138,139]. Interestingly, although the presence of these contaminants highlighted the necessity of considering land and sea use issues more broadly than just the foods themselves, the up and down stream causative chain was more implied than actively discussed in this literature.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Hunting Still Healthy? Understanding the Interrelationships between Indigenous Participation in Land-Based Practices and Human-Environmental Health

King

Furgal

2014

IJERPH

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Indigenous participation in land-based practices such as hunting, fishing, ceremony, and land care has a long history. In recent years, researchers and policy makers have advocated the benefits of these practices for both Indigenous people and the places they live. However, there have also been documented risks associated with participation in these activities. Environmental change brought about by shifts in land use, climate changes, and the accumulation of contaminants in the food chain sit alongside equally rapid shifts in social, economic and cultural circumstances, preferences and practices. To date, the literature has not offered a wide-ranging review of the available cross-disciplinary or cross-ecozone evidence for these intersecting benefits and risks, for both human and environmental health and wellbeing. By utilising hunting as a case study, this paper seeks to fill part of that gap through a transdisciplinary meta-analysis of the international literature exploring the ways in which Indigenous participation in land-based practices and human-environmental health have been studied, where the current gaps are, and how these findings could be used to inform research and policy. The result is an intriguing summary of disparate research that highlights the patchwork of contradictory understandings, and uneven regional emphasis, that have been documented. A new model was subsequently developed that facilitates a more in-depth consideration of these complex issues within local-global scale considerations. These findings challenge the bounded disciplinary and geographic spaces in which much of this work has occurred to date, and opens a dialogue to consider the importance of approaching these issues holistically.

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“…In addition to nicotine, cigarettes are well known to contain lead and several volatile organic compounds including toluene, acrolein, benzene, acetaldehyde, and formaldehyde (Hammond and O’Connor, 2008) which may be deleterious to brain development. Plasma levels of the heavy metal cadmium were elevated seven-fold in women that smoked at high levels (Butler Walker et al, 2006). Further, the placentas of smokers had elevated quantities of cadmium and zinc but decreases in iron (Ronco et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal smoking cessation and reduced academic and behavioral problems in offspring

Piper

Gray

Birkett

2012

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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Background There is some debate whether smoking during pregnancy causes or is only a risk factor for negative academic outcomes and increased risk of psychopathology in offspring. This study evaluated whether maternal smoking cessation would reduce the risk of adverse outcomes in school-aged children. Methods Women completed an online survey that included items about child scholastic performance and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Mothers were divided based on pre-pregnancy and pregnancy smoking status into: 1) Nonsmokers (N=320); 2) Women that smoked in the three months preceding and throughout pregnancy (Smokers, N=83); and 3) Smoking before, but not during pregnancy (Quitters, N=72). Results The Smokers and Quitters groups each had lower education and incomes compared to Nonsmokers but were indistinguishable from each other on these measures. The offspring of Smokers were more likely (p<.05) to be behind their peers on standardized tests in math (27.8%) relative to both Nonsmokers (17.4%) and Quitters (13.0%) with similar findings for reading. Smokers reported more behavioral problems by their children in several areas including Hyperactivity and Impulsivity, Social problems, and Externalizing problems including Aggression and Rule-Breaking. Further, the children of Quitters had significantly fewer Attention and Externalizing problems than Smokers. These outcomes were observed even after accounting for the variance attributable to maternal education and several other potential confounds. Conclusions Together, these findings indicate that smoking cessation is associated with reduced risk of having children with academic and neuropsychological difficulties. These outcomes are discussed within the framework that nicotine may be a neurobehavioral teratogen.

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Maternal and umbilical cord blood levels of mercury, lead, cadmium, and essential trace elements in Arctic Canada

Cited by 160 publications

References 41 publications

Association between Maternal Zinc Status, Dietary Zinc Intake and Pregnancy Complications: A Systematic Review

Association between Maternal Zinc Status, Dietary Zinc Intake and Pregnancy Complications: A Systematic Review

Is Hunting Still Healthy? Understanding the Interrelationships between Indigenous Participation in Land-Based Practices and Human-Environmental Health

Maternal smoking cessation and reduced academic and behavioral problems in offspring

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