No association between prenatal lead exposure and neurodevelopment during early childhood in the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

ABSTRACT: Compared with the relatively well-investigated effects of childhood exposure to lead on neurocognitive deficits, those of prenatal exposure remain relatively inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the association between prenatal blood lead levels and neurodevelopmental delay during the first three years of life. From a prospective cohort of the Japan Environment and Children's Study, we analyzed a total of 80,759 children. The exposure factors were prenatal lead concentrations measured from maternal whole blood in the second/third trimesters and umbilical cord blood at birth. Neurodevelopment was assessed at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months old using a screening tool, the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, third edition (ASQ). The outcome measures were any suspected neurodevelopmental delay (

SUBMITTER: Inoue H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9468004 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature