Publications by authors named "Flavia-Laura Barbieri"
Objectives: This study aims to (1) follow up and characterize infant growth patterns during the first year of life in Bolivia, and (2) determine whether there exists an association between weight gain and cognitive development in children living near contaminated mining industries.
Methods: Data on 175 children participating to the ToxBol (Toxicity in Bolivia) birth cohort were analyzed. Rapid-growth during the first 6 months was defined as a change in weight z-score > 0.
Article Synopsis
- * Pregnant women’s socioeconomic status and medical histories were assessed, and prenatal exposure to various trace elements was measured through blood tests; most levels were below control limits, except for slightly elevated antimony levels.
- * Interestingly, despite concerns about contamination, the children's development scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development did not show abnormalities, with low lead levels surprisingly correlating positively with better performance.
Severe polymetallic contamination is frequently observed in the mining communities of Bolivian Altiplano. We evaluated hair trace elements concentrations at the population level to characterise exposure profile in different contexts of contact with mining and metallurgical pollution. We sampled 242 children aged 7 to 12 years in schools from five Oruro districts located in different contexts of potential contamination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethylmercury exposure in Amazonian communities through fish consumption has been widely documented in Brazil. There is still a lack of data in other Amazonian countries, which is why we conducted this study in the Bolivian Amazon basin. Simple random sampling was used from a small village located in the lower Beni River, where there is intense gold mining and high fish consumption.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF