Table 1.
Characteristics of pregnant women and blood metals levels (μg/dL)
| Cadmium (Cd) | Mercury (Hg) | Lead (Pb) | Arsenic (As) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | Geometric Meana | Median (IQR) | Geometric Meana | Median (IQR) | Geometric Meana | Median (IQR) | Geometric Meana | Median (IQR) | |
| Overall | 310 | - | 0.03 | 0.02 (0.01–0.04) | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.07) | 0.38 | 0.34 (0.16–0.83) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| in Cd Cluster | 25 | 8.1 % | 0.05 | 0.06 (0.02–0.16) | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.00–0.05) | 0.51 | 0.54 (0.23–1.23) | 0.05 | 0.05 (0.04–0.05) |
| In Pb Cluster | 22 | 7.1 % | 0.04 | 0.03 (0.02–0.15) | 0.02 | 0.01 (0.01–0.05) | 0.42 | 0.39 (0.24–0.74) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Age at Delivery | ||||||||||
| 18–24 | 98 | 31.6 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.07) | 0.02 | 0.03 (0.01–0.06) | 0.40 | 0.40 (0.16–0.94) | 0.05 | 0.05 (0.04–0.06) |
| 25–34 | 161 | 51.9 % | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.04) | 0.03 | 0.04 (0.01–0.08) | 0.35 | 0.29 (0.16–0.74) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| 35+ | 51 | 16.5 % | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.04) | 0.03 | 0.04 (0.02–0.07) | 0.42 | 0.39 (0.17–1.07) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||||||
| Black | 110 | 35.5 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.06) | 0.03 | 0.04 (0.01–0.07) | 0.35 | 0.33 (0.16–0.79) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Hispanic | 98 | 31.6 % | 0.03 | 0.02 (0.01–0.09) | 0.02 | 0.03 (0.01–0.06) | 0.47 | 0.50 (0.22–1.07) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Other | 12 | 3.9 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.08) | 0.05 | 0.05 (0.03–0.13) | 0.49 | 0.55 (0.27–1.02) | 0.06 | 0.05 (0.04–0.10) |
| White | 90 | 29.0 % | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.03) | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.02–0.08) | 0.32 | 0.21 (0.13–0.62) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Years of Education | ||||||||||
| 1–11 year | 100 | 32.6 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.10) | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.05) | 0.51 | 0.53 (0.23–1.01) | 0.05 | 0.05 (0.04–0.05) |
| 12 years | 64 | 20.8 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.07) | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.06) | 0.34 | 0.29 (0.18–0.61) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| 13–15 years | 41 | 13.4 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.02–0.06) | 0.04 | 0.05 (0.02–0.08) | 0.36 | 0.25 (0.16–0.85) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| 16+ yrs | 102 | 33.2 % | 0.02 | 0.01 (0.01–0.03) | 0.04 | 0.04 (0.02–0.09) | 0.30 | 0.27 (0.12–0.64) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Pre-pregnancy BMI (kg/m2) | ||||||||||
| <18.5 | 12 | 3.9 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.07) | 0.04 | 0.04 (0.02–0.08) | 0.29 | 0.24 (0.15–0.83) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| 18.5–24.9 | 118 | 38.4 % | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.04) | 0.03 | 0.04 (0.01–0.09) | 0.38 | 0.30 (0.14–0.97) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| 25–29.9 | 98 | 31.9 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.09) | 0.02 | 0.03 (0.01–0.07) | 0.40 | 0.43 (0.20–0.82) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| 30–34.9 | 45 | 14.7 % | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.04) | 0.03 | 0.04 (0.02–0.07) | 0.28 | 0.27 (0.15–0.51) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| 35+ | 34 | 11.1 % | 0.02 | 0.03 (0.01–0.04) | 0.02 | 0.03 (0.01–0.05) | 0.50 | 0.40 (0.17–1.34) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Whole Blood Folate (ug/L) | ||||||||||
| low: 0–188 | 100 | 32.5 % | 0.03 | 0.03 (0.01–0.10) | 0.02 | 0.03 (0.01–0.06) | 0.38 | 0.37 (0.17–0.86) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.06) |
| medium: 188–263 | 104 | 33.8 % | 0.03 | 0.02 (0.01–0.06) | 0.03 | 0.04 (0.01–0.08) | 0.43 | 0.36 (0.20–0.84) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| high: 263–358 | 104 | 33.8 % | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.03) | 0.04 | 0.04 (0.02–0.09) | 0.33 | 0.25 (0.14–0.72) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Smoking Status | ||||||||||
| Did not smoke during pregnancy | 254 | 84.7 % | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.04) | 0.03 | 0.04 (0.01–0.08) | 0.37 | 0.33 (0.15–0.78) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Smoked during pregnancy | 46 | 15.3 % | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.03–0.10) | 0.02 | 0.03 (0.01–0.05) | 0.38 | 0.30 (0.18–0.99) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.06) |
| Leisure Time Physical Activity | ||||||||||
| No | 77 | 25.5 % | 0.03 | 0.02 (0.01–0.07) | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.07) | 0.39 | 0.37 (0.18–0.85) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
| Yes | 225 | 74.5 % | 0.02 | 0.02 (0.01–0.04) | 0.03 | 0.04 (0.01–0.07) | 0.37 | 0.31 (0.16–0.82) | 0.05 | 0.04 (0.04–0.05) |
aThe geometric mean was calculated using values of the limit of detection (LOD) divided by the square root of 2 when < LOD