Differences in Maternal Hair Heavy Metal and Mineral Levels between Preterm Delivery and Full-term Delivery

Lee, Clara; Lee, Ho Hyoung; Hwang, Byung Chul; Lee, Soon Pyo; Park, Jong Min; Kim, Suk Young

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Previous studies on the effects of heavy metal exposure on adverse birth outcomes are still inconsistent. Heavy metal exposure would be related to decreased birth weight and a shortened gestational age. The aim of this work was to investigate maternal hair heavy metal concentrations in relation to gestational age at delivery.
METHODS
A total of 52 maternal hair samples were collected at the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gil hospital, Korea. Delivery before 37 weeks of gestation was defined as preterm and delivery after 37 weeks of gestation was defined as full-term delivery. We gathered the specimens from maternal hair approaching delivery. 23 samples were taken from preterm delivered mothers and 29 samples from full term delivered mothers. We evaluated maternal specimen by hair tissue mineral analysis to measure heavy metal concentrations accumulated for more than several months. All statistical analyses were performed with Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon W test.
RESULTS
Heavy metal was revealed in pregnant women's hair but there was not a significant correlation between levels of heavy metal and gestational age at delivery. Compared numbers of preterm delivery and full-term delivery by stratified by heavy metal concentrations did not have significant correlation.
CONCLUSIONS
This study does not show any strong relationship between delivery outcome and heavy metal measured by hair tissue mineral analysis. Further prospective studies with serial measures of cord blood heavy metal level and hair its levels may be required.