Summary
Cross-sectional descriptive study with bivariate and multivariate analyses; part of the Environmental Exposures in Lebanese Infants (EELI) longitudinal birth cohort (launched 2021). Cord blood collected at delivery from 74 Lebanese neonates in Beirut. Antimony was detected in 73 of 74 samples (98.6%). Cord blood Sb concentrations are low (median 0.04 microg/L) relative to maternal blood in other studies, consistent with limited transplacental transfer. Kidney disease was the strongest predictor of cord blood Sb in multivariable regression, an unexpected finding that may reflect renal Sb handling confounding.
Key numbers
Cord blood Sb (microg/L), N = 74, Lebanon, Beirut:
- LOD: 0.01 microg/L; LOQ: 0.03 microg/L
- Detection frequency: 73/74 = 98.6%
- P25: 0.02 microg/L
- Median: 0.04 microg/L
- P75: 0.05 microg/L
- P90: 0.07 microg/L
- Maximum: 0.64 microg/L
- Mean (SD): 0.474 (0.075) microg/L (note: right-skewed; mean much higher than median due to outliers)
Spearman correlations with other metals in cord blood (p < 0.01):
Statistically significant bivariate associations:
- Diesel household heating: higher Sb (p = 0.032)
- Thyroid disease (personal): higher Sb (p = 0.001)
- Family history of thyroid disease: higher Sb (p = 0.006)
- Fish servings per week (3+ vs. less than 3): lower Sb (p = 0.033) — inverse
Multivariable predictors of cord blood Sb:
- Kidney disease: beta = 0.4569, p less than 0.001 (dominant predictor)
- R-squared = 0.906
Evidence Fitness
Modeled or limited evidence. Small sample (N = 74). The very high R-squared driven by kidney disease is unusual and may reflect confounding or measurement artefact. Cord blood Sb concentrations are substantially lower than maternal blood Sb values reported in other studies in this deposit, consistent with limited transplacental transfer of Sb.
Methods (brief)
Cross-sectional; venous cord blood collected at birth, Beirut hospitals, 2021 onwards. Metals by ICP-MS. Spearman correlations, multivariable linear regression. Maternal questionnaire on diet, lifestyle, medical history, residence.
Implications
- Certification: cord blood Sb is detectable (99% detection) but at very low concentrations (median 0.04 microg/L); substantially lower than maternal peripheral blood.
- Courses: illustrates that transplacental Sb transfer is limited relative to other metals such as lead and arsenic.
- App: not applicable to food contamination profiles.
- Microbiome: not addressed.
Provenance notes
Open access, CC BY-NC-ND. File from PMC OA S3 (PMC13287769). EELI cohort, Beirut.
Update history
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