SynthesisEnvironmental health perspectives2012
Mercury, cadmium, and lead levels in human placenta: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Environmental health perspectives, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association between maternal exposure to mercury during pregnancy and birth weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Prenatal Exposure to Toxic Metals and Neural Tube Defects: A Systematic Review of the Epidemiologic Evidence.Environmental health perspectives · 2023Pooled it
- Cadmium exposure and risk of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort and cohort-based case-control studies.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2021Pooled it
- Environmental contaminants and preeclampsia: a systematic literature review.Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part B, Critical reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Article
- A Three-Decade Overview of Cadmium and Lead in Placentas of Postpartum Women: A Review of Evidence from Croatia (1990s-2019).Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Heavy metals detected in fetal and placental tissues in a pregnancy complicated by severe fetal growth impairment and sacrococcygeal teratoma: a case report.Frontiers in toxicology · 2026Article
- Nutritional Modulation of the Gut Microbiome in Relation to Prenatal Lead-Induced Neurotoxicity: A Review.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Maternal smoking during pregnancy and blood lead levels in US children aged 1-15 years: associations modified by age and race.Paediatrics & child health · 2025Article
- Cadmium levels in maternal blood, placenta, and cord blood in relation to preeclampsia and fetal growth: a case-control study in China.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2025Article
- Prevalence of Exposure to Environmental Metal Mixtures Among Pregnant Women in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018.Journal of xenobiotics · 2025Article
- A single-cell transcriptomic landscape of cadmium-hindered brain development in mice.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Placental BCRP transporter reduces cadmium accumulation and toxicity in immortalized human trophoblasts.Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) · 2023Article
- A State-of-the-Science Review on Metal Biomarkers.Current environmental health reports · 2023Review
- Article
- Protective role of the placental efflux transporter BCRP/ABCG2 in the relationship between prenatal cadmium exposure, placenta weight, and size at birth.Environmental research · 2023Article
- Effects of Non-Essential "Toxic" Trace Elements on Pregnancy Outcomes: A Narrative Overview of Recent Literature Syntheses.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Human placental microRNAs dysregulated by cadmium exposure predict neurobehavioral outcomes at birth.Pediatric research · 2023Article
- Article
- Environmental toxicants and placental function.Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology · 2022Review
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPlacental tissue may furnish information on the exposure of both mother and fetus. Mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) are toxicants of interest in pregnancy because they are associated with alterations in child development.
objectivesThe aim of this study was to summarize the available information regarding total Hg, Cd, and Pb levels in human placenta and possible related factors.
methodsWe performed a systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Lilacs, OSH, and Web of Science for original papers on total Hg, Cd, or Pb levels in human placenta that were published in English or Spanish (1976-2011). Data on study design, population characteristics, collection and analysis of placenta specimens, and main results were extracted using a standardized form.
resultsWe found a total of 79 papers (73 different studies). Hg, Cd, and Pb levels were reported in 24, 46, and 46 studies, respectively. Most studies included small convenience samples of healthy pregnant women. Studies were heterogeneous regarding populations selected, processing of specimens, and presentation of results. Hg concentrations > 50 ng/g were found in China (Shanghai), Japan, and the Faroe Islands. Cd levels ranged from 1.2 ng/g to 53 ng/g and were highest in the United States, Japan, and Eastern Europe. Pb showed the greatest variability, with levels ranging from 1.18 ng/g in China (Shanghai) to 500 ng/g in a polluted area of Poland.
conclusionThe use of the placenta as a biomarker to assess heavy metals exposure is not properly developed because of heterogeneity among the studies. International standardized protocols are needed to enhance comparability and increase the usefulness of this promising tissue in biomonitoring studies.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.