ArticlePloS one2015
Association of cord blood levels of lead, arsenic, and zinc and home environment with children neurodevelopment at 36 months living in Chitwan Valley, Nepal.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Associated with Early-Life Exposure to Heavy Metals: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Time-Varying Exposure to Element Mixtures and Children's Cognition at 5 Years of Age: Findings from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study.Environmental health perspectives · 2026Article
- Article
- Association of whole blood essential metals with neurodevelopment among preschool children.Pediatric research · 2025Article
- Review
- Risk factors for Ascaris lumbricoides infection and its association with nutritional status and IQ in 14-Year old adolescents in Chitwan, Nepal.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Chronic exposure of arsenic among children in Asia: A current opinion based on epidemiological evidence.Current opinion in environmental science & health · 2024Article
- Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food.EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2024Article
- Article
- Socioeconomic and education-based inequality in suspected developmental delays among Nepalese children: a subnational level assessment.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- No association between prenatal lead exposure and neurodevelopment during early childhood in the Japan Environment and Children's Study.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Maternal Folate Status and the Relation between Gestational Arsenic Exposure and Child Health Outcomes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Associations of maternal urinary arsenic concentrations during pregnancy with childhood cognitive abilities: The HOME study.International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2022Article
- Prenatal lead exposure and childhood executive function and behavioral difficulties in project viva.Neurotoxicology · 2019Article
- Exposure profile of mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, copper, selenium and zinc in maternal blood, cord blood and placenta: the Tohoku Study of Child Development in Japan.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2019Article
- Low-Level Toxic Metal Exposure in Healthy Weaning-Age Infants: Association with Growth, Dietary Intake, and Iron Deficiency.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2017Article
- High blood levels of lead in children aged 6-36 months in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: A cross-sectional study of associated factors.PloS one · 2017Article
- Arsenic exposure during embryonic development alters the expression of the long noncoding RNA growth arrest specific-5 (Gas5) in a sex-dependent manner.Neurotoxicology and teratologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInconsistent results continue to be reported from studies linking low-level prenatal lead exposure and child development. Because of limited earlier epidemiological studies with birth cohort follow up design, it still remains inconclusive that either the associations of cord blood level of toxic, and essential elements, and postnatal raising environment on neurodevelopment of children remains constant throughout childhood or change over time.
aimsThis study aims to investigate the influence of in utero toxic [lead (Pb) and arsenic (As)] and essential elements [zinc (Zn)] levels on neurodevelopment of 36 months children in Chitwan valley, Nepal taking the postnatal environment into account. STUDY DESIGNS AND SUBJECTS: In this birth cohort study, participants (N=100 mother-infants' pairs) were recruited in Chitwan district, Nepal. We measured Pb, As and Zn concentrations in cord blood. Postnatal raising environment (i.e., Home score or home environment hereafter) was evaluated using Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME) scale. Neurodevelopment of children at 36 months of age (n=70) were assessed using Bayley Scale of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID II). Multivariate regression was performed (n=70) to see the association of in utero toxic and essential elements level and home environment with neurodevelopment score adjusted for covariates.
resultsCord blood levels of Pb, As and Zn were not associated with any BSID II cluster scores of 36 months children. The children with relatively superior HOME score and concurrent nutritional status (weight at 36 months) showed better cognitive development (i.e., MDI scores) and motor functions than their counterparts, respectively.
conclusionIn this general population in Nepal, prenatal Pb, As and Zn levels are not important determinants of the neurodevelopment of 36- month-old children while a consistent beneficial effect of a stimulating home environment on neurodevelopmental indicators is continued.
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