Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Maternal cadmium exposure and neurobehavior in children: The HOME study.

Authors: Yang, Weili; Vuong, Ann M; Xie, Changchun; Dietrich, Kim N; Karagas, Margaret R; Lanphear, Bruce P; Braun, Joseph M; Yolton, Kimberly; Chen, Aimin

Published In Environ Res, (2020 07)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether cadmium (Cd) exposure during fetal brain development is associated with child neurobehavior. OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential associations between Cd exposure during pregnancy and neurobehavior among children. METHODS: We used data from 276 children in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study, a well-established prospective pregnancy and birth cohort. We measured maternal urinary Cd concentrations at 26 weeks of gestation. For cognitive function, we assessed Mental Development Index (MDI) and Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II, the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence-III, or the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-IV at ages 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 years. We assessed child behaviors using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 at ages 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 years, yielding four composite measures: Externalizing Problems, Internalizing Problems, Behavioral Symptoms Index, and Adaptive Skills. We used linear mixed models with covariate adjustment to estimate the associations between maternal urinary Cd concentrations and child neurobehavior. RESULTS: We categorized study participants into three groups based on maternal urinary Cd concentrations (Group 1: < limit of detection (LOD), Group 2: 0.06-0.22 μg/g creatinine, Group 3: >0.22 μg/g creatinine). In linear mixed models adjusting for maternal and child characteristics, maternal urinary Cd levels were not significantly associated with cognitive function at ages 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 years or with behavioral composite measures at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 years. CONCLUSIONS: No significant associations were observed between maternal urinary Cd and cognitive or behavioral measures in children at 1-8 years of age in this study.

PubMed ID: 32668545 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Cadmium*/toxicity; Child; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Intelligence Tests; Maternal Exposure; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*/chemically induced; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*/epidemiology; Prospective Studies

Back
to Top