Nicotine concentration in the hair of nonsmoking mothers and size of offspring

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) 1998-01, Vol.88 (1), p.120-124
• Main Authors: Nafstad, P, Fugelseth, D, Qvigstad, E, Zahlen, K, Magnus, P, Lindemann, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Babies; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; Birth weight; Births; Case-Control Studies; Chromatography; Cigarettes; Confidence intervals; Data collection; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Estimates; Female; Gestational age; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Hair; Hair - chemistry; Hair analysis; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Small for Gestational Age; Mass spectrometry; Maternal Exposure - adverse effects; Medical sciences; Mothers; Newborn babies; Nicotine; Nicotine - analysis; Norway; Odds Ratio; Pediatrics; Pregnancy; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Public health; Ratios; Risk; Risks; Scientific imaging; Single persons; Size; Smoking; Tobacco smoke; Tobacco Smoke Pollution; Weight
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.88.1.120

The purpose of this study was to estimate the risk of small-for-gestational-age birth by levels of nicotine in the hair of mothers and offspring. In a sample of 58 case subjects and 105 control subjects, hair nicotine concentrations were measured by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. With women whose hair nicotine concentrations were in the lowest quartile as the reference group, the odds ratio (OR) for small-for-gestational-age birth was increased among women with concentrations in the upper and two middle quartiles (OR=4.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.5, 11.5, and OR = 3.2, 95% CI=1.3, 8.0). When smoking mothers were excluded from the analysis, the corresponding odds ratios were 2.1 (95% CI=0.4, 10.1) and 3.4 (95 % CI= 1.3, 8.6). The results suggest that passive maternal smoking increases the risk of small-for-gestational-age births.