Toxic metal mixtures in private well water and increased risk for preterm birth in North Carolina

Environmental Health

Research

Radhika Dhingra¹  Lauren A. Eaves²  Rebecca C. Fry³  Julia E. Rager⁴  Alexander P. Keil⁵  Anne Marie Jukic⁶  Tracy A. Manuck⁷  Jada L. Brooks⁸ 

[1] Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 166A Rosenau Hall, CB #7431, 27599, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA;Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 166A Rosenau Hall, CB #7431, 27599, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 166A Rosenau Hall, CB #7431, 27599, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 166A Rosenau Hall, CB #7431, 27599, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, USA;Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;

关键词: Metals;    Mixtures;    Preterm birth;    Drinking water;    Private well;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12940-023-01021-7

 received in 2023-03-23, accepted in 2023-09-23,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPrenatal exposure to metals in private well water may increase the risk of preterm birth (PTB) (delivery < 37 weeks’ gestation). In this study, we estimated associations between arsenic, manganese, lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, and zinc concentrations in private well water and PTB incidence in North Carolina (NC).MethodsBirth certificates from 2003–2015 (n = 1,329,071) were obtained and pregnancies were assigned exposure using the mean concentration and the percentage of tests above the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for the census tract of each individuals’ residence at the time of delivery using the NCWELL database (117,960 well water tests from 1998–2019). We evaluated associations between single metals and PTB using adjusted logistic regression models. Metals mixtures were assessed using quantile-based g-computation.ResultsCompared with those in other census tracts, individuals residing in tracts where > 25% of tests exceeded the MCL for lead (aOR 1.10, 95%CI 1.02,1.18) or cadmium (aOR 1.11, 95% CI 1.00,1.23) had an increased odds of PTB. Conversely, those residing in areas with > 25% MCL for zinc (aOR 0.77 (95% CI: 0.56,1.02) and copper (aOR 0.53 (95% CI: 0.13,1.34)) had a reduced odds of PTB. A quartile increase in the concentrations of a mixture of lead, cadmium, and chromium was associated with a small increased odds for PTB (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01, 1.03). This metal mixture effect was most pronounced among American Indian individuals (aOR per quartile increase in all metals: 1.19 (95% CI 1.06,1.34)).ConclusionsIn a large study population of over one million births, lead and cadmium were found to increase the risk of PTB individually and in a mixture, with additional mixtures-related impacts estimated from co-exposure with chromium. This study highlights critical racial and ethnic health disparities in relation to private well water thereby emphasizing the urgent need for improved private well water quality to protect vulnerable populations.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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