Pre- and postnatal environmental boron exposure and infant growth: Results from a mother-child cohort in northern Argentina.

Background: Experimental studies show developmental toxicity of boron and we recently found impaired weight and length in newborns of mothers exposed to boron through drinking water during pregnancy.

Objectives: To evaluate potential impact of pre- and postnatal boron exposure on infant anthropometry.

Methods: In our mother-child cohort (n = 177) in Argentinean Andes, where drinking water concentrations of boron, lithium and arsenic have been found to vary considerably, we collected maternal blood and urine during and after pregnancy, placenta, breast milk, as well as infant urine and blood during the first 6 months of life.