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The objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential effect of environmental exposure to cadmium on pregnancy outcome and fetal growth. Normal pregnant women were selected from Da-ye city of Hubei province, a cadmium-polluted area, from November 2002 through January 2003. Whole blood of pregnant women, cord blood, and placenta were collected and cadmium levels were determined by inductively coupled plasma emission mass spectroscopy. Incidence rate of preterm labor (gestational ageor = 37 weeks) and neonatal asphyxia, neonatal birth height, and birth weight were compared between lower and higher cadmium exposure level groups. Whole blood cadmium of 44 mothers ranged from 0.80 to 25.20 microg/L. Cadmium concentration in maternal blood was significantly higher than that in cord blood (t = 11.44, P0.01). Placenta cadmium ranged from 0.084 to 3.97 microg/g dry weight. After adjustment for maternal age, history of gestation, abortion and lactation, Logistic regression analysis showed that there was no significant association between cadmium exposure levels and pregnancy outcome (premature labor or neonatal asphyxia). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that, cord blood cadmium level, but not maternal blood cadmium and placenta cadmium, was significantly negatively associated with neonatal birth height (t= -2.33, P0.05). Compared with lower cord blood cadmium level (or = 0.40 microg/L), higher level of cord blood cadmium (0.40 microg/L) was associated with 2.24cm decrease in neonatal birth height. There was no significant association between cadmium exposure and birth weight. It was concluded that environmental exposure to cadmium significantly lower neonatal birth height.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential effects of zinc, copper, and selenium on placental cadmium transport. From November 2002 through January 2003, a total of 47 healthy pregnant women from Da-Ye City, Hubei Province in Central China participated in the study. Their age, parity, gestational age, pregnancy history, and lifestyle data were obtained by questionnaire interview. The placental, whole-blood, and cord blood levels of cadmium were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), whole-blood zinc was measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS), whole-blood copper by ICP-MS, and selenium was by atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry (AFS). The cord blood cadmium concentration (0.020-1.48 microg/L) was significantly lower than in maternal blood (0.80-25.20 microg/L, p

In order to explore the associations between trace elements in dietary intake and the other three biological media (blood, urine, or feces) and inter-element interactions among the latter, we simultaneously collected 72-h diet duplicates, whole blood, and 72-h urine and feces from 120 free-living healthy males in China. Correlations among the toxic (cadmium [Cd], lead [Pb]), and nutritionally essential (zinc [Zn], copper [Cu], iron [Fe], manganese [Mn], selenium [Se], iodine [I]) elements were evaluated using Spearman rank correlation analysis based on analytical data determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Dietary Cd intakes were highly correlated with the fecal Cd and blood Cd levels. Inverse correlations were found for Fe–Cd and Fe–Pb in both diet versus blood and diet versus feces. Cd–Zn and Cd–Se were significantly directly correlated in the urine and feces. Cd–Se and Pb–Se were negatively correlated in blood. In addition, there existed an extremely significant association between urinary Se and urinary I. Moreover, the other two highly direct correlations were found for Se–Fe and for I–Fe in urine. Improved knowledge regarding their mutual associations is considered to be of fundamental importance to understand more the complex interrelationships in trace element metabolism.

Changes in content and distribution of elements in human tissues may reflect changes in environmental backgrounds, and are closely related to human health. To investigate the change in element background in normal lung tissue in different stage, we used ICP-MS, ICP-AES and GFAAS to determine 51 element contents in normal human lung samples of 1982-83 year (n = 7) and compare with those of 2004-05 year (n = 16). Samples were from healthy male adults who died suddenly, and were treated with microwave digestion and wet digestion method. The results show that the contents of 23 elements (Na, Mg, P, K, As, Mo, Ag, Ba, Bi, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu) are significantly higher, and 6 elements (Zn, Ga, Ge, Se, Au and Zr) are significantly lower in the 2004-05 samples than those in the 1982-83 samples. This difference would be related to the changes in environmental backgrounds and people's living habit during twenty years. The distinctive decrease in contents of the 2004-05 samples for most measured rare earth elements (REEs) may be due to more rational usage of REEs in present, while were the soil and corps were largely abused in 1980s in China. The significant increase in contents of some useful micro-elements (Zn and Se ) in the present samples maybe because of the increased intake of these elements as people own more health consciousness. Besides, the increased contents of heavy metal Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni in the present samples may be related to the deterioration of air quality as industrialization course. More than half of measured elements have been significantly changed over twenty years, indicating that some normal value ranges of element contents should be adjusted according to the difference.