Birth Outcomes Associated with Paternal Polybrominated and Polychlorinated Biphenyl Exposure

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Lawrence Redmond, Emory University; John A. Kaufman, Emory University; Metrecia Terrell, Emory University; Melanie A Pearson, Emory University; Hillary Barton, Emory University; Martha Scott Tomilson, Emory University; Michele Marcus, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-08-27
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.114215
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Environmental Research
• Volume: 214
• Issue: Pt 4
• Start Page: 114215
• Grant/Funding Information: Funding was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIEHS/NIH), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Grants R01ES08341, USEPA R825300, R01ES012014, 2R01ES012014, R01ES025775, R24ES028528, P30ES019776, and T32ES012870).
• Keywords: Polychlorinated Biphenyl; Endocrine Disrupting Chemical; Birth Outcome; Paternal Exposure; Infant Health; Polybrominated Biphenyl
• Research Categories: Environmental Sciences; Health Sciences, Toxicology

Abstract

In 1973-74, a polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) flame retardant mixture was shipped to Michigan livestock feed mills in place of a nutritional supplement and contaminated the food supply. Following the accident, the Michigan PBB Registry was established to study the long-term health effects of halogenated compounds and is now led by a community-academic partnership. PBB exposure is associated with altered DNA methylation in sperm, which may lead to adverse birth outcomes in children whose fathers have increased levels of serum PBB or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). Paternal PBB and PCB levels of men enrolled in the Michigan PBB Registry (n=155) were analyzed against matched offspring birthweight and gestational age (n=336). Birthweight and gestational age were dichotomized at the 25th percentile and 37 weeks, respectively, and paternal PBB and PCB levels were examined as continuous measures and divided into tertiles. Associations of offspring birthweight and gestational age with paternal PBB and PCB serum concentrations were modeled using multivariable linear spline and log-risk regression, adjusting for family clustering, paternal health and lifestyle factors, maternal PBB, and PCB serum concentrations, sex, and offspring gestational age (for birthweight). Fathers in the middle and upper PBB and PCB tertiles had increased risks for lowest quartile birthweight compared to the first tertile, with adjusted risk ratios (aRR) =1.67 (95% CI: 0.93, 2.99) and aRR=2.06 (95% CI: 1.12, 3.79) for PBB, and aRR=1.47 (95% CI: 0.79, 2.75) and aRR=1.34 (95% CI: 0.70, 2.54) for PCB, respectively. Elevated paternal PBB levels were not associated with an increased risk for preterm birth, while PCB levels were associated with a small, but not significant, decrease in gestational age, β=−0.37 (95% CI: −0.76, 0.03) weeks per log unit increase PCB. The findings suggest that increased paternal PBB and PCB levels negatively impact offspring birthweight, and paternal PCB levels may negatively impact gestational age.