Research tracking pregnant women in Wuhan over a two-year period shows link between critical mineral exposure and low baby birthweights
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenStephen Chenin BeijingPublished: 10:00pm, 20 Sep 2026Updated: 10:17pm, 20 Sep 2026A new study finds that prenatal exposure to rare earth elements can raise the risk of low birthweight, with some substances increasing the danger by more than three times.Researchers tracked 4,891 pregnant women who gave birth at Wuhan Maternal and Child Health Hospital between 2012 and 2014.They measured the concentration of 13 rare earth elements including cerium, ytterbium, and lanthanum in urine samples collected from the mothers.
