Relationships of the serum levels of toxic trace elements in pregnant women versus exposure to second-hand smoke

Tobacco smoke contains many toxic heavy metals that cause adverse effects in humans. The association between second-hand smoke (SHS) and the toxic metals accumulated in pregnant women are still unclear. We measured trace element levels in the sera of pregnant women exposed to SHS and compared the data to those of unexposed pregnant women. Moreover, the data were contrasted with the anthropometric measurements (birth weight, birth length, and head circumference) of their newborn babies after delivery. Two groups of pregnant women were voluntarily recruited, and their blood samples were collected. Then, ten trace elements were measured in their sera, and the data were statistically analyzed using R version 4.0.3 software. The serum trace elements in the smoking subjects were higher than those of the non-smokers, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The SHS had adverse effects on some trace elements on the smokers' sera. The concentrations of Cr and Ni in mothers exposed to SHS (32.85-51.25) were significantly higher than those in the mothers unexposed to SHS (28.26-44.80; p < 0.05). The study found that some trace elements significantly affected the anthropometric measurements of infants born to mothers who were exposed to SHS (p < 0.05). Exposure of pregnant women to cigarette smoke had adverse effects on their newborns' body weights. The mothers who smoked had babies with lower weights. Also, the exposure to cigarette smoke might have caused some of the disorders during their pregnancy.