Concentrations of endocrine disrupting chemicals in newborn blood spots and infant outcomes in the upstate KIDS study

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Erin M. Bell, State University of New York at Albany; Edwina H. Yeung, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland; Wanli Ma, State University of New York at Albany; Kurunthachalam Kannan, State University of New York at Albany; Rajeshwari Sundaram, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland; Melissa Smarr, Emory University; Germaine M. Buck Louis, George Mason University
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-12-01
• Publisher: Elsevier ScienceDirect Inc.
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2018 Elsevier Ltd.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.09.005
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Environmental International
• Volume: 121
• Issue: Pt 1
• Start Page: 232
• End Page: 239
• Grant/Funding Information: Funded by the Intramural Research Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (NICHD; contracts # HHSN267200700019C; HHSN275201200005C).
• Keywords: Bisphenol A; Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid; Exposure; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Perfluoroalkyl substances; Phthalate metabolite; Birth outcomes; Fetal growth; Bisphenol A-levels; Science & Technology; Birth weight; Environmental Sciences; Newborn bloodspots; Cord serum; Endocrine-disrupting chemicals; Perfluorinated compounds; Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Maternal serum; Perfluorooctanoic acid
• Research Categories: Environmental Sciences; Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Biology, Bioinformatics

Abstract

Background: Novel methodologies to quantify infant exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) for population-based studies are needed. Objectives: We used newborn dried blood spots to quantify three EDCs and their associations with infant outcomes in the Upstate KIDS Cohort. Methods: We measured bisphenol A (BPA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in 2071 singleton and 1040 twin infants born to mothers in New York State. We log transformed concentrations after rescaling by their standard deviations and modeled each in relation to gestational age, birthweight, length, head circumference and Ponderal Index (PI) using linear regression techniques. All models were adjusted for maternal age, body mass index, education, infertility treatment and parity. Generalized estimating equations with robust standard errors were used to assess the associations for twins. Results: Chemicals were largely quantified above the limits of detection (>99% for PFOS and PFOA; 90% for BPA). Overall, we observed no significant associations between PFASs and birth size irrespective of plurality of birth. However, among twins, BPA was associated with decreases in gestational age (adjusted β = −0.09 weeks; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): −0.16, −0.02) and birthweight (adjusted β = −32.52 g; 95% CI: −60.99, −4.05), head circumference (adjusted β = −0.18 cm; 95% CI: −0.38, −0.02) and increased PI in singletons (adjusted β = 0.02 cm; 95% CI: 0.004, 0.04). Conclusion: We observed negative associations between BPA and birth size in twins. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of newborn dried blood spots for quantifying neonatal exposure at the population level.