Air Quality Criteria for Lead Volume II of II - (NEPIS)(EPA) - US ...

AX6-169
Table AX6-6.1. Placental Transfer of Lead from Mother to Fetus
Reference and
Study Location Study Description Pb Measurement Findings, Interpretation
United States
Harville et al. (2005)
Pittsburgh, PA
Angell and Lavery
(1982)
Louisville, KY
Bogden et al. (1978)
Newark, NJ
159 mother-infant pairs. Maternal blood Pb at delivery:
Mean 1.93 µg/dL (range 0.55-4.70)
635 cord blood specimens. 154 maternal
and infant blood samples collected 24 h
postpartum from these deliveries.
25 deliveries of infants with birth weights
between 1,500-2,500g and 50 matched
controls with birth weights above 2,500g.
Cord blood Pb:
Mean 1.64 µg/dL (range 0.05-3.95)
Maternal blood Pb:
Mean 9.85 µg/dL (SD 4.4)
Infant blood Pb:
Mean 9.82 µg/dL (SD 4.8)
Cord blood Pb:
Mean 9.78 µg/dL (SD 4.1)
Low birth weight infants:
Maternal blood Pb:
Mean 16.2 µg/dL (SD 4.5)
Cord blood Pb:
Mean 13.8 µg/dL (SD 4.4)
Normal birth weight infants:
Maternal blood Pb:
Mean 15.3 µg/dL (SD 5.2)
Cord blood Pb:
Mean 13.1 µg/dL (SD 4.3)
Correlation coefficient = 0.79
On avg, cord blood Pb was lower than maternal
blood Pb by 0.03 µg/dL (95% CI: 0.21, 0.38).
Maternal-infant blood Pb:
Correlation coefficient = 0.73, ∃ = 0.73
Maternal-cord blood Pb:
Correlation coefficient = 0.60, ∃ = 0.55
Cord-infant blood Pb:
Correlation coefficient = 0.77, ∃ = 0.90
No significant differences in maternal blood to
cord blood ratios in low birth weight and normal
birth weight infants.
Correlation coefficient = 0.55