Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Lead Exposure in Infancy and Subsequent Childhood Growth

Shukrullah Ahmadi
* ,
Jérémie Botton
,
Roméo Zoumenou
,
Pierre Ayotte
ORCID logo ,
Nadine Fievet
,
Achille Massougbodji
,
Maroufou Jules Alao
,
Michel Cot
ORCID logo ,
Philippe Glorennec
ORCID logo ,
Florence Bodeau-Livinec
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 11 August 2022 / Approved: 15 August 2022 / Online: 15 August 2022 (11:22:35 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Ahmadi, S.; Botton, J.; Zoumenou, R.; Ayotte, P.; Fievet, N.; Massougbodji, A.; Alao, M.J.; Cot, M.; Glorennec, P.; Bodeau-Livinec, F. Lead Exposure in Infancy and Subsequent Growth in Beninese Children. Toxics 2022, 10, 595. Ahmadi, S.; Botton, J.; Zoumenou, R.; Ayotte, P.; Fievet, N.; Massougbodji, A.; Alao, M.J.; Cot, M.; Glorennec, P.; Bodeau-Livinec, F. Lead Exposure in Infancy and Subsequent Growth in Beninese Children. Toxics 2022, 10, 595.

Abstract

Studies suggest that elevated postnatal blood lead levels (BLLs) are negatively associated with child growth. This study aimed to investigate associations of childhood BLLs at age one-year and growth outcomes at age six-years (n=661) in a cohort of children in Allada, Benin. The growth outcomes studied are weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ), height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) and BMI-for-age Z-score (BMIZ), head circumference (HC), underweight, stunting, and wasting. Multivariable regression models examined associations between blood lead levels, growth outcomes with adjustment for potential confounders. The geometric mean BLLs was 59.3 μg/L and 82% of children had BLLs >35 μg/L at one year. After adjusting for confounding factors, no association was found between BLLs quartiles and HAZ, WAZ, BMIZ, and height and weight growth velocities. However, boys in the highest quartile had 1.02 cm lower HC (95% CI: [-1.81, -0. 24]) as compared to those in the lowest quartile with a dose-response trend across quartiles (Ptrend =0.02). Furthermore, an increased risk of being stunted was observed in children in the highest quartile of exposure compared to the first (OR: 2.43; 95% CI: [1.11 – 5.33]) with a dose-response trend (Ptrend =0.03). Blood lead was found to be associated with an increased risk of childhood stunting and lower head circumference in a resource-limited setting.

Keywords

Heavy metals; lead exposure; growth outcomes; cohort study

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Toxicology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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