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Prenatal Metal Exposures and Infants’ Developmental Outcomes in a Navajo Population

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Listed:
  • Sara S. Nozadi

    (Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Li Li

    (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Li Luo

    (Department of Internal Medicine, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Debra MacKenzie

    (Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Esther Erdei

    (Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Ruofei Du

    (Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA)

  • Carolyn W. Roman

    (Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Joseph Hoover

    (Social Science and Cultural Studies, Montana State University Billing, Billings, MT 59101, USA)

  • Elena O’Donald

    (Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Courtney Burnette

    (Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Services, Omaha, NE 68106, USA)

  • Johnnye Lewis

    (Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

Abstract

Early-life exposure to environmental toxicants can have detrimental effects on children’s neurodevelopment. In the current study, we employed a causal modeling framework to examine the direct effect of specific maternal prenatal exposures on infants’ neurodevelopment in the context of co-occurring metals. Maternal metal exposure and select micronutrients’ concentrations were assessed using samples collected at the time of delivery from mothers living across Navajo Nation with community exposure to metal mixtures originating from abandoned uranium mines. Infants’ development across five domains was measured at ages 10 to 13 months using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Inventory (ASQ:I), an early developmental screener. After adjusting for effects of other confounding metals and demographic variables, prenatal exposure to lead, arsenic, antimony, barium, copper, and molybdenum predicted deficits in at least one of the ASQ:I domain scores. Strontium, tungsten, and thallium were positively associated with several aspects of infants’ development. Mothers with lower socioeconomic status (SES) had higher lead, cesium, and thallium exposures compared to mothers from high SES backgrounds. These mothers also had infants with lower scores across various developmental domains. The current study has many strengths including its focus on neurodevelopmental outcomes during infancy, an understudied developmental period, and the use of a novel analytical method to control for the effects of co-occurring metals while examining the effect of each metal on neurodevelopmental outcomes. Yet, future examination of how the effects of prenatal exposure on neurodevelopmental outcomes unfold over time while considering all potential interactions among metals and micronutrients is warranted.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara S. Nozadi & Li Li & Li Luo & Debra MacKenzie & Esther Erdei & Ruofei Du & Carolyn W. Roman & Joseph Hoover & Elena O’Donald & Courtney Burnette & Johnnye Lewis, 2021. "Prenatal Metal Exposures and Infants’ Developmental Outcomes in a Navajo Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-24, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2021:i:1:p:425-:d:715346
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Brugge, D. & Goble, R., 2002. "The history of uranium mining and the Navajo people," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 92(9), pages 1410-1419.
    2. Lauren Hund & Edward J. Bedrick & Curtis Miller & Gabriel Huerta & Teddy Nez & Sandy Ramone & Chris Shuey & Miranda Cajero & Johnnye Lewis, 2015. "A Bayesian framework for estimating disease risk due to exposure to uranium mine and mill waste on the Navajo Nation," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 178(4), pages 1069-1091, October.
    3. Katherine von Stackelberg & Elizabeth Guzy & Tian Chu & Birgit Claus Henn, 2015. "Exposure to Mixtures of Metals and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: A Multidisciplinary Review Using an Adverse Outcome Pathway Framework," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 35(6), pages 971-1016, June.
    4. Tyler J. VanderWeele & Ilya Shpitser, 2011. "A New Criterion for Confounder Selection," Biometrics, The International Biometric Society, vol. 67(4), pages 1406-1413, December.
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    Cited by:

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