Evaluation of Long-Term Lead Exposure and Potential Health Effects to Mother and Child Following Bone Turnover While Breastfeeding

Details

• Personal Author:
  Widestrom M
• Description:
  Introduction: Lead (Pb) is a naturally occurring element that is used in many different work environments and can also be found in the home through environmental exposures. Adverse health outcomes associated with Pb exposure are well established and include a variety of effects at low levels of exposure, including cardiovascular, kidney, neurological effects, as well as reproductive and developmental effects in pregnant women and their offspring. The pharmacokinetic behavior of Pb is well characterized. However, what remains unknown is how lifetime Pb exposures and occupational Pb exposures interact to influence bone Pb levels during pregnancy and lactation. Methods: An existing PBPK model as migrated to R software to evaluate the effects of bone loss on Pb levels during lactation. The breast compartment was added to the existing model and a substantial literature search was performed to characterize these parameters. Results: The model currently models bone reabsorption and changes blood lead (PbB) concentrations during lactation. There was a steady increase in PbB levels from birth through the beginning of lactation followed by a drastic increase in PbB levels during the lactation period. Following the cessation of breastfeeding, PbB dropped to pre-lactation concentrations. The model suggests that changes in PbB for a woman born in 2000 who experiences relatively high Pb exposure and breastfeeds for a period of 180 days at the age of 28 show a 54% increase in maternal blood Pb concentrations, increasing from a baseline level of 2.5 µg/dL pre-lactation to 3.9 µg/dL during lactation. Discussion: Due to significant efforts from the US Environmental Protection Agency and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average human exposure to lead has drastically declined over the last 40 years. This resulted in average PbB levels that were much lower than anticipated. Even with the increase in PbB levels during lactation, average exposure to Pb would result in PbB levels below 1µg/dL and would not be anticipated to cause health effects to woman or child. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Lead Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Bone Structure Breastfeeding Children Occupational Exposure
• Publisher:
  University of Cincinnati
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Thesis
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-31
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068754
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, 2022 Mar; :1-31
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Evaluation of long-term lead exposure and potential health effects to mother and child following bone turnover while breastfeeding
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7fc7e82cd4ca35899a0a943bf0f14bec9231010bdd0127baa592ae9c2db376cfdc433ac525501e49235b4b4bdad49a857c5df34a7796102254a2a698f5b117e9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207337/cdc_207337_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.49 MB ]