A cross-sectional examination of the early-onset hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and industrial emissions of toxic metals using Kentucky birth records, 2008-2017

PLoS One. 2022 Sep 20;17(9):e0274250. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274250. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

This cross-sectional study assessed geospatial patterns of early-onset hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (eHDP) in primiparous mothers and exposure to industrial emissions using geocoded residential information from Kentucky live (N = 210,804) and still (N = 1,247) birth records (2008-2017) and census block group estimates of aerosol concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zi) from the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model. A latent class analysis allowed for the identification of four district exposure classes-As, Cd, and Pb (12.6%); Se and Zi (21.4%); Pb and Cr (8%); and low or no exposures (57.9%). Women classified as having a high probability of exposure to both Pb and Cr had a statistically significantly greater prevalence of eHDP after adjusting for demographic factors (aPR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.44) relative to those with low or no exposure. Our findings contribute to the emerging literature on the association of metal exposures with pregnancy outcomes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Arsenic* / analysis
  • Birth Certificates
  • Cadmium / analysis
  • Cadmium / toxicity
  • Chromium / analysis
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Etidronic Acid
  • Female
  • Heavy Metal Poisoning
  • Humans
  • Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced*
  • Kentucky / epidemiology
  • Lead / analysis
  • Mercury* / analysis
  • Mercury* / toxicity
  • Metals, Heavy* / analysis
  • Pregnancy
  • Selenium* / analysis
  • Zinc / analysis

Substances

  • Metals, Heavy
  • Cadmium
  • Chromium
  • Lead
  • Mercury
  • Selenium
  • Zinc
  • Etidronic Acid
  • Arsenic

Grants and funding

This manuscript was supported in part by the Education Research Center (ERC) through Grant 6U54OH007547 (CJW) and by Berea College through the Olive Ruth Russel Fellowship (CJW). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIOSH/CDC or Berea College. This manuscript was supported in part by the Education Research Center (ERC) through Grant 6U54OH007547 (CJW) and by Berea College through the Olive Ruth Russel Fellowship (CJW). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIOSH/CDC or Berea College. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.