The role of fingernail selenium in the association between arsenic, lead and mercury and child development in rural Vietnam: a cross-sectional analysis

Jacob Egwunye; Barbara R Cardoso; Sabine Braat; Tran Ha; Sarah Hanieh; Dominic Hare; Alex Xiaofei Duan; Augustine Doronila; Thach Tran; Tran Tuan; Jane Fisher; Beverley-Ann Biggs

doi:10.1017/S0007114522001374

The role of fingernail selenium in the association between arsenic, lead and mercury and child development in rural Vietnam: a cross-sectional analysis

Br J Nutr. 2022 May 10:1-9. doi: 10.1017/S0007114522001374. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jacob Egwunye¹, Barbara R Cardoso², Sabine Braat^{1

3}, Tran Ha⁴, Sarah Hanieh¹, Dominic Hare^{1

5}, Alex Xiaofei Duan⁶, Augustine Doronila⁶, Thach Tran^{4

7}, Tran Tuan⁴, Jane Fisher⁷, Beverley-Ann Biggs^{1

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Victoria, 3000, Australia.
² Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC3004, Australia.
³ Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC3052, Australia.
⁴ Research and Training Centre for Community Development, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁵ School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC3050, Australia.
⁶ Melbourne TrACEES Platform and School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC3010, Australia.
⁷ Global and Women's Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC3004, Australia.
⁸ The Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC3050, Australia.

PMID: 35535482
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114522001374

Abstract

As, Pb and Hg are common environmental contaminants in low- and middle-income countries. We investigated the association between child toxicant exposure and growth and development and determined if this association was mitigated by Se concentration. Toxicant concentrations in fingernail samples, anthropometry and Bayley's Scales of Infant Development, 3rd edition domains were assessed in 36-month-old children whose mothers had been part of a randomised controlled trial in rural Vietnam. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to estimate the effect of toxicant exposure on clinical outcomes with adjustments for potential confounders and interaction with fingernail Se concentration. We analysed 658 children who had data for at least one physical or developmental outcome, and at least one toxicant measurement, and each of the covariates. Fingernail As concentration was negatively associated with language (estimate per 10 % increase in As: -0·19, 95 % CI: (-0·32, -0·05)). Pb was negatively associated with cognition (estimate per 10 % increase in Pb: -0·08 (-0·15, -0·02)), language (estimate per 10 % increase in Pb: -0·18 (-0·28, -0·10)) and motor skills (estimate per 10 % increase in Pb: -0·12 (-0·24, 0·00)). Hg was negatively associated with cognition (estimate per 10 % increase in Hg: -0·48, (-0·72, -0·23)) and language (estimate per 10 % increase in Hg -0·51, (-0·88, -0·13)) when Se concentration was set at zero in the model. As Se concentration increased, the negative associations between Hg and both cognition and language scores were attenuated. There was no association between toxicant concentration and growth. As, Pb and Hg concentrations in fingernails of 3-year-old children were associated with lower child development scores. The negative association between Hg and neurological development was reduced in magnitude with increasing Se concentration. Se status should be considered when assessing heavy metal toxicants in children and their impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Keywords: Arsenic; Child development; Lead; Mercury; Selenium; Toxicants; Vietnam.