Collaborative ECHO research led by Jonathan Lewis, MHS, Emily Knapp, PhD, MHS, and Amii Kress, PhD, MPH of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health investigates the relationship between arsenic exposure and certain birth outcomes. This research, titled “Associations Between Area-Level Arsenic Exposure and Adverse Birth Outcomes: An ECHO-Wide Cohort Analysis,” is published in Environmental Research.
Researchers captured proxy exposure to arsenic using a residential history of arsenic violations from the preconception period throughout pregnancy, a time when environmental influences could disrupt fetal growth. Violations were used as a proxy for arsenic exposure. The study used data from 15,000 mother-child pairs at 51 research sites across the U.S., focusing on children born in 2006 or later. In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised the enforceable standard for arsenic concentrations in drinking water to 10 parts per billion.
Low birth weight, gestational age at birth, preterm birth, and birth size were not found to be associated with potential arsenic exposure in areas with violations. However, infants whose mothers experienced continuous exposure to arsenic from three months before conception through birth exhibited a statistically significant increase in birth weight compared to those born in areas without violations.
In future studies, researchers aim to improve the identification of the community water systems that serve ECHO participants. Future research could also consider ECHO participants’ exposure to arsenic in foods and from other sources of drinking water.