Effects of prenatal exposure to arsenic on neonatal birth size in Wujiang, China

To investigate prenatal exposure to arsenic and its effect on birth size, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Wujiang City, Jiangsu, China, from June 2009 to June 2010. A total of 1722 mother-infant pairs were included in the study. A questionnaire was administered to the pregnant women and umbilical cord blood(UCB) samples were collected. Arsenic concentration in UCB was detected by inductively coupled plasma emission mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The birth size included birth weight, birth body length and head circumference of the newborns. The effects of arsenic exposure on birth size were assessed by multiple linear regression analysis. Arsenic concentrations in UCB ranged from 0.11 to 30.36 μg/L, the median was 1.71 μg/L. In this range of exposure, arsenic concentration was significantly negatively associated with birth weight, especially among male infants. Our results showed that prenatal exposure to arsenic level was low in Wujiang City, China. However, low prenatal arsenic exposure could have negative effects on birth weight. Our research provided evidence for the adverse effects of prenatal low-level arsenic exposure on the intrauterine growth of the fetus.