The Effect of Umbilical Cord Blood Leads on Birth Weight

Background and Objective: Some changes in newborns growth indices are related to several risk factors; though, a distinct etiology is unknown. Due to the available evidence about highly concentrated levels of lead in our province particularly in comparison to non-contaminated regions, this study was designed to evaluate the relationship between lead levels of umbilical cord blood and newborns birth weight variations in Zanjan, Iran. Materials and Methods: 300 newborns were enrolled in this case-control study in Zanjan province. Cord blood samples were obtained from 150 low birth weight (LBW) infants (birth weight lower than 2500 gr) as the case group, and 150 normal weight infants (weight= 2500-4000 gr.) as the control group. The blood lead level was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The collected data were analyzed using independent t-test. Results: Umbilical cord blood lead level was significantly high in LBW newborns (79.17±37.10 mg/L) in comparison with the control group (73.4±42.9 mg/L). there was not this type of relationship(raised mean level of umbilical cord blood lead in LBW newborns compared to normal weight newborns)in newborn groups who distributed based on mother’s age and education level variables but there was significant statistical differences in mean level of lead in both these groups in according with gender variable. Conclusion: High blood level of lead in cord blood samples can potentially be considered as one of the reasons for LBW.