BioMPreg_GI2-CESPU-2025 - Maternal Trace Element Exposure and Associated Pregnancy Health Outcomes in Portugal: A Biomonitoring Pilot Study.
admin-cespu
Principal Investigator:
Cristina Maria Cavadas Morais do Couto
Leader Institution:
1H-TOXRUN - CESPU
Research Team:
Agostinho Almiro Almeida, Sandra Carla Ferreira Leal, Susana Isabel Ferreira da Silva de Sá
Funding entity:
CESPU
Budget:
2.000 €
Period covered:
01.09.2025 – 31.08.2026
Abstract:
Human biomonitoring (HBM) measures environmental chemicals or their metabolites in accessible biological samples, providing integrated assessment of exposure across all sources and routes. This approach is particularly valuable when exposure origins are uncertain or multifactorial, providing accurate data on internal exposure for human health risk assessment. Emerging evidence links co-exposure to toxic environmental agents and adverse maternal health and pregnancy outcomes, with implications for fetal development. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the accumulation of trace elements (TE) due to physiological changes during gestation. Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals has been associated with a range of negative outcomes such as impaired fetal growth, preterm birth, and long-term health effects. We aim to quantify a broad panel of TEs in urine from pregnant women recruited at Hospital de São João (HSJ), using ICP-MS. The study will also assess the risk of TE co-exposure and explore associations with maternal health and pregnancy outcomes. Findings will support national public health policies and contribute to environmental risk assessment strategies.
Human biomonitoring (HBM) measures environmental chemicals or their metabolites in accessible biological samples, providing integrated assessment of exposure across all sources and routes. This approach is particularly valuable when exposure origins are uncertain or multifactorial, providing accurate data on internal exposure for human health risk assessment. Emerging evidence links co-exposure to toxic environmental agents and adverse maternal health and pregnancy outcomes, with implications for fetal development. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the accumulation of trace elements (TE) due to physiological changes during gestation. Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals has been associated with a range of negative outcomes such as impaired fetal growth, preterm birth, and long-term health effects. We aim to quantify a broad panel of TEs in urine from pregnant women recruited at Hospital de São João (HSJ), using ICP-MS. The study will also assess the risk of TE co-exposure and explore associations with maternal health and pregnancy outcomes. Findings will support national public health policies and contribute to environmental risk assessment strategies.
Project area: