body burdens of mercury lead selenium and copper among baltimore newborns umbilical cord blood or serum concentrations of mercury lead selenium and copper were measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in a population of 300 infants born in baltimore maryland geometric mean values were 137 gl 95 confidence interval 127 148 for mercury 066 gdl 95 ci 061 071 for lead and 3862 gdl 95 ci 3673 4061 for copper mean selenium was 7010 gl 95 ci 6869 7052 mercury selenium and copper levels were within exposure ranges reported among similar populations whereas the distribution of lead levels was lower than prior reports only one infant had a cord blood lead above 10 gdl levels of selenium were significantly correlated with concentrations of lead spearmans 020 and copper spearmans 051 multivariable analyses identified a number of factors associated with one of more of these exposures these included increase in maternal age increased lead asian mothers increased mercury and lead decreased selenium and copper higher umbilical cord serum n3 fatty acids increased mercury selenium and copper mothers using medicaid increased lead increasing gestational age increased copper increasing birthweight increased selenium older neighborhood housing stock increased lead and selenium and maternal smoking increased lead this work provides additional information about contemporary prenatal element exposures and can help identify groups at risk of atypical exposures