The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 155, Issue 5 , Pages 663-667 , November 2009

Higher Infant Blood Lead Levels with Longer Duration of Breastfeeding

  • Betsy Lozoff, MD

      Affiliations

    • Center for Human Growth and Development and Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • Elias Jimenez, MD

      Affiliations

    • Hospital Nacional de Niños, San Jose, Costa Rica
    • ,
  • Abraham W. Wolf, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
    • ,
  • Mary Lu Angelilli, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
    • ,
  • Jigna Zatakia, BA

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
    • ,
  • Sandra W. Jacobson, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
    • ,
  • Niko Kaciroti, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • Katy M. Clark, MA

      Affiliations

    • Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • Min Tao, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • Marcela Castillo, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Psychology Unit, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
    • ,
  • Tomas Walter, MD

      Affiliations

    • Hematology Unit, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
    • ,
  • Paulina Pino, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

Received 17 September 2008 ,Revised 4 March 2009 ,Accepted 13 April 2009.

References 

  1. Manton W, Angle C, Stanek K, Kuntzelman D, Reese Y, Kuehnemann T. Release of lead from bone in pregnancy and lactation. Environ Res. 2003;92:139–151
  2. Gulson B, Mizon K, Korsch M, Palmer J, Donnelly J. Mobilization of lead from human bone tissue during pregnancy and lactation—a summary of long-term research. Sci Total Environ. 2003;303:79–104
  3. Rabinowitz M, Leviton A, Needleman H. Lead in milk and infant blood: a dose-response model. Arch Environ Health. 1985;40:283–286
  4. Gundacker C, Pietschnig B, Wittmann KJ, Lischka A, Salzer H, Hohenauer L, et al. Lead and mercury in breast milk. Pediatrics. 2002;110:873–878
  5. Ettinger AS, Tellez-Rojo MM, Amarasiriwardena C, Bellinger D, Peterson K, Schwartz J, et al. Effect of breast milk lead on infant blood lead levels at 1 month of age. Environ Health Perspect. 2004;112:1381–1385
  6. Counter SA, Buchanan LH, Ortega F. Lead concentrations in maternal blood and breast milk and pediatric blood of Andean villagers: 2006 follow-up investigation. J Occup Environ Med. 2007;49:302–309
  7. Wolf AW, Jimenez E, Lozoff B. No evidence of developmental ill effects of low-level lead exposure in a developing country. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 1994;15:224–231
  8. Pino P, Walter T, Oyarzun M, Lozoff B. Rapid drop in infant blood lead levels during the transition to unleaded gasoline use in Santiago, Chile. Arch Environ Health. 2004;59:182–187
  9. Lozoff B, Angelilli ML, Zatakia J, Jacobson SW, Calatroni A, Beard JL. Iron status of inner-city African-American infants. Am J Hematol. 2007;82:112–121
  10. Lozoff B, Brittenham GM, Wolf AW, McClish DK, Kuhnert PM, Jimenez E, et al. Iron deficiency anemia and iron therapy: effects on infant developmental test performance. Pediatrics. 1987;79:981–995
  11. Lozoff B, De Andraca I, Castillo M, Smith J, Walter T, Pino P. Behavioral and developmental effects of preventing iron-deficiency anemia in healthy full-term infants. Pediatrics. 2003;112:846–854
  12. Fernandez FJ, Hillegos D. An improved graphite furnace method for the determination of lead in blood using matrix modification and the L'vov platform. Atomic Spectroscopy. 1982;3:1300–1311
  13. Ballew C, Khan LK, Kaufmann R, Mokdad A, Miller DT, Gunter EW. Blood lead concentration and children's anthropometric dimensions in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). 1988-1994. J Pediatr. 1999;134:623–630
  14. Slavin W. Graphite furnace AAS for biological materials. Sci Total Environ. 1988;71:17–35
  15. SAS 9.1. Cary, NC: SAS Institute; 2003;
  16. Lanphear BP, Hornung R, Khoury J, Yolton K, Baghurst P, Bellinger DC, et al. Low-level environmental lead exposure and children's intellectual function: an international pooled analysis. Environ Health Perspect. 2005;113:894–899
  17. Canfield RL, Henderson CR, Cory-Slechta DA, Cox C, Jusko TA, Lanphear BP. Intellectual impairment in children with blood lead concentrations below 10 microg per deciliter. New Eng J Med. 2003;348:1517–1526
  18. Gilbert SG, Weiss B. A rationale for lowering the blood lead action level from 10 to 2 microg/dL. NeuroToxicology. 2006;27:693–701
  19. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health. Lead exposure in children: prevention, detection, and management. Pediatrics. 2005;116:1036–1046

 The study was supported by grants from the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD14122, R37 HD31606, R01 HD33487, and P01 HD039386; to B.L.), and from the Chilean Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Cientifico y Technológico (FONDECYT; 195-0772; to P.P.). The study sponsors had no role in the study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, writing of the report, or decision to submit for publication. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

PII: S0022-3476(09)00379-5

doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.04.032

The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 155, Issue 5 , Pages 663-667 , November 2009

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