In utero exposure to aluminium and other neurotoxic elements in urban coastal South African women at delivery : an emerging concern

• Published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Main Authors: Rollin, Halina B., Channa, Kalavati, Olutola, Bukola Ganiyat, Nogueira, Claudina, Odland, Jon Oyvind
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI Publishing 2020
• Subjects: Aluminium; In utero exposure; Birth outcomes; Essential trace elements; Neurotoxic elements; Sex-dependent response to toxicants; South Africa (SA); Women; Arctic; Norway; Rho; AMAP
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2263/76594; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051724

Aluminium (Al) is a non-essential neurotoxicant and there is limited information regarding exposure to Al in utero. This study sought to evaluate the in utero exposure to Al in urban South African women, its e ects on birth outcomes and possible synergistic e ects between Al, essential and neurotoxic elements such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As), as well as a a potential sex-dependent response to these elements in neonates. This study has found elevated levels of Al in urban women at delivery. The Spearman’s rank correlation coe cients (p-value) of the association between maternal serum Al and birth outcomes (gestational age and parity), and between maternal serum Al and Cu, Zn and Se, were statistically significant. However, in the general and the stratified models, no association was found between any of the birth outcomes and maternal serum Al. The association between maternal serum Al and neurotoxic elements at delivery showed a significant positive correlation for Pb only (rho = 0.361; p < 0.001) which was found to be sex-dependent in neonates (males, rho = 0.285; p < 0.004 and females, rho = 0.444, p < 0.001). Our preliminary findings indicate that in utero exposure to Al is an emerging concern requiring further research and directives from public health authorities. The National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa, the Research Council of Norway, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and the Norwegian Royal Ministry for Foreign Affairs. http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph am2020 School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH)