Table 4. Average (Median) Concentrations of Trace Elements in 15 Sets of Cord Blood, Cord Tissue, and Placenta, with the Ratio and Correlation Coefficient for Each of the Other Matrices with the Cord Blood Concentration.
| mercury | selenium | lead | cadmium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cord blood (μg/L) | 12.1 | 105 | 6.0 | 0.33 |
| cord tissue (μg/g) | 0.085 | 0.20 | n.d.a | 0.003 |
| placenta (μg/g) | 0.087 | 0.81 | 0.053 | 0.035 |
| milk (μg/L) | 2.31 | 16.4 | 8.5 | 0.23 |
| ratio to cord blood (correlation coefficient) | ||||
| cord tissue | 7.0 (0.97) | 1.9 (0.60) | n.d.a | 8.7 (−0.30) |
| placenta | 7.2 (0.97) | 7.7 (0.35) | 8.9 (0.34) | 107 (0.12) |
| milk | 0.19 (0.69) | 0.16 (0.48) | 1.41 (−0.24) | 0.70 (0.14) |
a
n.d., not detected.