EFFECT OF LEAD ON FETAL GROWTH IN A CANADIAN SMELTER CITY, 1961-1990

The fetuses of women who live adjacent to a large lead smelter may exp erience intrauterine growth retardation that results from the mothers' systemic availability of lead absorbed from their environment. In thi s study, the authors used 30 y of birth records (n = 9 329) to obtain fetal growth measurements for the smelter city and a suitable control city. The authors determined rates of intrauterine growth retardation (small-for-date births) for 5-y periods, and they determined the estim ated relative risk of intrauterine growth retardation that occurred in the smelter city and compared it with the control city. The risk of i ntrauterine growth retardation for women in the smelter city was not s ignificantly greater (odds ratio = 0.83) for either the 30-y period or each of the 5-y periods (odds ratio range = 0.51-1.33). The authors c oncluded that fetal growth was not affected by the amount of lead abso rbed by women who lived in a smelter environment.