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Effects of Prenatal Lead Exposure on Infant Size at Birth

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Lead Exposure and Child Development

Summary

It is well established that high levels of maternal lead exposure during pregnancy can result in a spectrum of adverse outcomes for the foetus, including spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm delivery, and small-for-gestational-age deliveries. Less is known about lead-related intrauterine growth retardation at levels of lead exposure encountered by the general population. In an interim analysis of data from 202 inner-city infants, prenatal lead exposure was inversely related to birth weight and birth length. Maternal blood lead (PbB) concentrations ranged from 1 to 26 µg dl−1 \(\left( {\bar x = 7.6} \right)\). The lead effect varied from a negative 58 g per natural log unit increment in PbB for 18-year-old mothers to a negative 601 g per natural log unit increment in 30-year-old mothers.

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© 1989 ECSC-EEC-EAEC, Brussels — Luxembourg; EPA, USA

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Bornschein, R.L. et al. (1989). Effects of Prenatal Lead Exposure on Infant Size at Birth. In: Smith, M.A., Grant, L.D., Sors, A.I. (eds) Lead Exposure and Child Development. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0847-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0847-5_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6868-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0847-5

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