Table 3a

Comparison between mothers of metal load between subgroups according to their ‘proximal exposure’. The metal load in mothers from different subgroups were compared with each other. Analysis was by multiple quantile regression on median values as linear function of the independent variable, ‘proximal exposure’. For ease in reading the data, the colour yellow indicates that the group in the first column of each panel has significantly higher load (p<0,05) than the one in the second column of the same panel. If vice versa, the line is enhanced in green colour. Panel A compares exposure subgroups 1 with 3; panel B compares exposure subgroups 1 with subgroups 2+3

Mother
A
Metal	Median exposure 1	95% CI	Median exposure 3	95% CI	Difference	p>\|t\|	95% CI - INF	95% CI -SUP
Al	6.1	5.59 to 6.61	5.17	4.49 to5.85	0.9299998	0.032	0.0813438	1.778656
Fe	14.26	13.33 to 15.19	14.76	13.52 to16	−0.5	0.527	−2.053229	1.053229
Mg	518	476.47 to 559.53	436	380.7 to491.3	82	0.02	12.8438	151.1562
Mn	0.77	0.69 to 0.85	0.58	0.48 to0.68	0.19	0.004	0.0594475	0.3205525
Ba	5.45	4.62 to 6.28	3.79	2.69 to4.89	1.66	0.018	0.2801481	3.039852
As	0.077	0.07 to 0.08	0.059	0.05 to0.07	0.018	0.007	0.0048824	0.0311176
Cd	0.0466	0.04 to 0.05	0.0429	0.03 to0.05	0.0037	0.537	−0.0080632	0.0154632
Co	0.05	0.04 to 0.06	0.04	0.03 to0.05	0.01	0.087	−0.0014529	0.0214529
Cr	0.67	0.59 to 0.75	0.58	0.47 to0.69	0.09	0.2	−0.0477462	0.2277463
Cu	12.7	11.88 to 13.52	12.8	11.71 to13.89	−0.1000004	0.885	−1.463699	1.263698
Hg	0.188	0.16 to 0.22	0.198	0.16 to0.24	−0.01	0.677	−0.0571568	0.0371568
Ni	0.65	0.56 to 0.74	0.46	0.34 to0.58	0.19	0.01	0.0461767	0.3338233
Pb	1.59	1.32 to 1.86	1.43	1.07 to1.79	0.1600001	0.479	−0.2842991	0.6042993
Sr	48	44.06 to 51.94	45.4	40.16 to50.64	2.599998	0.436	−3.953596	9.153592
Ti	0.27	0.24 to 0.3	0.22	0.19 to0.25	0.05	0.024	0.0066297	0.0933703
U	0.13	0.11 to 0.15	0.177	0.15 to0.2	−0.047	0.003	−0.0779462	−0.0160538
V	0.453	0.4 to 0.51	0.291	0.22 to0.37	0.162	0.001	0.0682058	0.2557942
W	0.03	0.03 to 0.03	0.03	0.02 to0.04	0	1	−0.0076353	0.0076353
Zn	296.93	270.11 to 323.75	250.72	215 to286.44	46.20999	0.043	1.542475	90.87751
B
Metal	Median exposure 1	95% CI	Median exposures 2+3	95% CI	Difference	p>\|t\|	95% CI - INF	95% CI -SUP
Al	6.1	5.57 to 6.63	5.32	4.72 to5.92	0.7799997	0.058	−0.0268346	1.586834
Fe	14.26	13.29 to 15.23	14.9	13.81to 15.99	−0.6399994	0.389	−2.099536	0.8195368
Mg	518	475.04 to 560.96	480	431.36 to 528.64	38	0.25	−26.89435	102.8944
Mn	0.77	0.68 to 0.86	0.66	0.56 to 0.76	0.11	0.106	−0.0232821	0.243282
Ba	5.45	4.65 to6.25	3.62	2.71 to 4.53	1.83	0.003	0.6196477	3.040352
As	0.077	0.07 to0.08	0.062	0.05 to 0.07	0.015	0.012	0.0033205	0.0266795
Cd	0.0466	0.04 to0.05	0.0421	0.03 to 0.05	0.0045	0.411	−0.0062438	0.0152438
Co	0.05	0.04 to0.06	0.04	0.03 to 0.05	0.01	0.034	0.0007411	0.0192589
Cr	0.67	0.57– to 0.77	0.64	0.53 to 0.75	0.03	0.687	−0.1161984	0.1761984
Cu	12.7	11.87 to 13.53	12.6	11.66 to 13.54	0.0999994	0.875	−1.14916	1.349159
Hg	0.188	0.16 to 0.21	0.189	0.16 to 0.22	−0.001	0.961	−0.0410696	0.0390696
Ni	0.65	0.56 to 0.74	0.51	0.41 to 0.61	0.14	0.043	0.004486	0.2755139
Pb	1.59	1.32 to 1.86	1.33	1.02 to 1.64	0.26	0.213	−0.1492202	0.6692202
Sr	48	43.66 to 52.34	50.7	45.79 to 55.61	−2.700001	0.418	−9.248474	3.848473
Ti	0.27	0.24 to 0.3	0.23	0.2 to 0.26	0.04	0.046	0.0006893	0.0793107
U	0.13	0.11 to 0.15	0.18	0.16 to 0.2	−0.05	0.001	−0.0790813	−0.0209187
V	0.453	0.39 to0.51	0.35	0.28 to 0.42	0.103	0.03	0.0102138	0.1957863
W	0.03	0.02 to0.04	0.04	0.03 to 0.05	−0.01	0.026	−0.0188125	−0.0011875
Zn	296.93	268.87 to324.99	262.18	230.41 to 293.95	34.75	0.108	−7.639446	77.13945

*Al, aluminium; Fe, iron; Mg, magnesium; Mn, manganese; Ba, barium; As, arsenic; Cd, cadmium; Co, cobalt; Cr, chromium; Cs, cesium; Cu, copper; Hg, mercury; Ni, nickel; Pb, lead; Sr, strontium; Ti, titanium; U, uranium; V, vanadium; W, tungsten; Zn, zinc.