HEALTH NEWS
Study Title:
Persistent organic pollutants in pregnant women potentially affect child develop
Study Abstract
Background: Potentially harmful effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) on prenatal development and the endocrine system have been controversially discussed.
Methods: Working with a German cohort of 324 pregnant women, we assessed POP levels and used robust linear regression models to determine potential associations between maternal POP concentrations and pre- and postnatal development in the children, as well as the thyroid hormone status of the mother and child.
Results: Maternal p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) and most measured PCBs positively correlated with postnatal weight gain. We detected no correlation between newborn birth weight and head circumference, respectively, and maternal PCB and p,p'-DDE serum levels, while body length at birth was negatively associated with the maternal serum concentration of PCB 183. Maternal p,p'-DDE and nearly all PCB serum levels showed a negative correlation with maternal free triiodothyronine (FT3). p,p'-DDE and PCB 74 and 118 were negatively associated with maternal thyroid-stimulating hormone levels. In addition, we identified significant associations between maternal POP levels and thyroid hormone parameters of the child.
Conclusions: These results indicate that POP exposure likely affects different aspects of pre- and postnatal development and impacts the thyroid hormone status of both mother and child.
Study Information
Pediatr Res. 2022 Feb;91(3):690-698. doi: 10.1038/s41390-021-01488-5. Epub 2021 Apr 6. PMID: 33824444; PMCID: PMC8904258.