Heavy Metals Can either Aid or Oppose the Protective Function of the Placental Barrier.

Background: In developing countries, toxic heavy metals are a threatening catastrophe to human health, particularly in the vulnerable group of pregnant mothers and their fetuses. Fortunately, the placenta can be a protective barrier to the fetuses.

Aim: To explore the relationship between serum lead, cadmium and arsenic levels in pregnant mothers and their newborns, to address the placental barrier in this situation.

Mercury Materno-fetal Burden and Its Nutritional Impact.

Background: Mercury exists worldwide in food, water and air throwing its health hazards on all body systems.

Aim: To show the influence of the presence of mercury in pregnant mothers' blood on its level in the umbilical cord blood; and to display the relationship between the different foodstuff on the mercury levels in pregnant mothers' and umbilical cord blood.

Patients And Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on randomly chosen 113 pregnant mothers at the time of labour and on their newborns.