ArticleBMJ open2017
A cross sectional study of the relationship between the exposure of pregnant women to military attacks in 2014 in Gaza and the load of heavy metal contaminants in the hair of mothers and newborns.
Article in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Late modern war and theSecurity dialogue · 2025Article
- Evaluation of prenatal calabash chalk geophagy on the developing brain of Wistar rats.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2024Article
- Reference Values on Children's Hair for 28 Elements (Heavy Metals and Essential Elements) Based on a Pilot Study in a Representative Non-Contaminated Local Area.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Excretion of Ni, Pb, Cu, As, and Hg in Sweat under Two Sweating Conditions.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Assessing reference levels of nickel and chromium in cord blood, maternal blood and placenta specimens from Ankara, TurkeyJournal of the Turkish German Gynecological Association · 2021Article
- It Takes Time to Unravel the Ecology of War in Gaza, Palestine: Long-Term Changes in Maternal, Newborn and Toddlers' Heavy Metal Loads, and Infant and Toddler Developmental Milestones in the Aftermath of the 2014 Military Attacks.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Disturbing medical findings in war-related traumatic amputation patients: a clinical descriptive study from Gaza.BMJ open · 2020Article
- Long Term Risks to Neonatal Health from Exposure to War-9 Years Long Survey of Reproductive Health and Contamination by Weapon-Delivered Heavy Metals in Gaza, Palestine.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- The role of maternal attachment in mental health and dyadic relationships in war trauma.Heliyon · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveMetal contamination of humans in war areas has rarely been investigated. Weaponry's heavy metals become environmentally stable war remnants and accumulate in living things. They also pose health risks in terms of prenatal intake, with potential long term risks for reproductive and children's health. We studied the contribution of military attacks to the load of 23 metals in the hair of Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip, who were pregnant at the time of the military attacks in 2014, and their newborns. We compared the metal load in the mothers with values for adult hair from outside the war area (RHS) as the reference. We investigated heavy metals trans-passing in utero, and assessed if the heavy metal intake could derive from sources unrelated to the war.
designCross sectional study. PARTICIPANTS AND
settingCross sectional convenience sample of 502 mothers delivering in the Gaza Strip and their newborns. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURED: Measure of the load of heavy metals in mother and newborn hair by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Comparison of metal loads with the reference RHS, between groups with different exposures to attacks and house/agriculture chemicals, and between mothers and newborns. Data for birth registry and for exposures to war and other known risk factors were obtained at interview with the mothers. Photographic documentation of damage from military attacks was obtained.
resultsThe whole cross sectional convenience sample had a significantly higher load of heavy metals than the reference RHS. Women exposed to military attacks had a significantly higher load of heavy metals than those not exposed; the load in newborns correlated positively with the mothers' load. No significant difference was found between users/non-users of house/agriculture chemicals. No other known confounder was identified.
conclusionsHigh heavy metal loads in mothers, reflected in those of their newborns, were associated with exposure to military attacks, posing a risk of immediate and long term negative outcomes for pregnancy and child health. Surveillance, biomonitoring and further research are recommended. Implications for general and public health are discussed.
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