Effects Of Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Copper, And Selenium On Placental Cadmium Accumulation And Transport

Cadmium is listed in 7th place in the hazardous substances register of the United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). It was found to be toxic to the placenta and fetus during gestation in animals and humans, resulting in changes in placental structures, disturbance of transplacental transport, preterm birth, impaired fetal growth, decrease in birth weight, and so on. In the past few years, increasing consideration has been given to interactions occurring in the organism between toxic metals and essential elements. Numerous data from animal experiments show that calcium, iron, zinc, copper, and selenium deficiency can intensify cadmium accumulation and toxicity in mothers and fetus, whereas increased supply of these essential elements may reduce cadmium absorption and accumulation and prevent or reduce the adverse actions of cadmium. Due to the occurrence of calcium, iron, and zinc deficiency in pregnant women is very common in developing countries, epidemiological studies on interactions between those nutritional elements and cadmium are urgently needed and of practical importance. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of nutritional levels of calcium, iron, zinc, copper, and selenium on placental cadmium accumulation and transport.Huang-Shi city of Hubei province in Central China was chosen as the study area. And the non-ferrous metal smelter operating in Huang-Shi was the main source of environmental cadmium pollution. The survey was conducted between November 2002...