233203 Childhood lead exposure and maternal outcomes

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Amy Abraham, MPH student/ Intern , Office of Health Information, Planning, Policy, Evaluation, and Research (HIPPER), Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, North Richland Hills, TX
Elizabeth Venettis, MPH- MCH Epidemiologist , Office of Health Information, Planning, Policy, Evaluation, and Research (HIPPER), Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, Detroit, MI
Margaret Tufts, MPH-Lead Poisoning Epidemiologist , Office of Health Information, Planning, Policy, Evaluation, and Research (HIPPER), Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, Detroit, MI
Harolyn Tarr, MPH- Interim Manager / Principal Epidemiologist , Office of Health Information, Planning, Policy, Evaluation & Research, Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, Detroit, MI
Childhood lead poisoning is a significant environmental health issue in Detroit. Major sources of lead in Detroit, an automotive hub with a large percentage of pre-1950 housing, are leaded paints and air pollution. The effects of childhood lead poisoning on neurological and cognitive outcomes are well documented. However, the long term effects of lead on other aspects of those children's lives, such as future reproductive outcomes, are unclear. Once exposed lead is stored in bones. Bone reformation (often during childhood and pregnancy) may release lead from bone to blood. Elevated blood lead levels (BLL) may be a potential risk factor for pre-term delivery and low birth weight babies. This study aims to explore detrimental effects of long term lead stores on the pregnancy outcomes of female Detroit residents who were tested for lead poisoning as children and who gave birth between 2000-2008. Birth weight, gestation, and delivery complications are the outcomes examined. Additionally, a manifestation of damaged cognitive development due to lead may display itself in poor decision making processes. Teen pregnancy and single motherhood are used as markers of diminished decision making skills. BLL data was accessed from Systematic Tracking of Elevated Lead Levels & Remediation (STELLAR) database and birth outcomes from 2000-2008 Detroit city vital records. While the results show a relation between elevated BLLs and pre-term delivery, low birth weight, and delivery complications, the associations were not statistically significant. This study is ongoing and the effects of confounders are yet to be evaluated.

Learning Objectives:
To describe the distribution of lead poisoning among a sample of children tested through the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion To identify and compare pregnancy and decision making outcomes among high and low levels of lead exposure To demonstrate the need for cord blood lead level testing among women in the city of Detroit and promote policy regarding mandatory lead testing for pregnant women

Keywords: Lead, Pregnancy Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Master of Public Health candidate at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) School of Public Health, where I have completed rigorous coursework in epidemiology and statistical methods. I am currently appointed as an intern to the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion through the Graduate Student Internship Program (GSIP), which is sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau, where I am enhancing my skills in data analysis as well as learning about the areas of maternal and child health and lead.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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