Association Between Heavy Metals Exposure and Height in Chinese Preschoolers

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the association between multiple metals' exposure and children's height. METHODS: We collected urine samples and physical measurement data of 1477 preschoolers in China. Children's actual height was measured, and whether reached target height was also assessed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the association between heavy metals and height. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was used to select the urinary metals, which were highly correlated. RESULTS: In the single-metal model after adjusting for potential confounders, urinary iron, aluminum, nickel, chrome, titanium, vanadium, selenium, rubidium, and thallium levels were negatively associated with actual height. Urinary iron, aluminum, nickel, and chrome concentrations were also negatively associated with target height. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that some urinary metal exposure might be associated with height in preschoolers.