Maternal Exposure to Polybrominated and Polychlorinated Biphenyls: Infant Birth Weight and Gestational Age

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Marjory L. Givens, Emory University; Chanley M. Small, Emory University; Metrecia L. Terrell, Emory University; Lorraine L. Cameron, Michigan Department of Community Health; Heidi Michels Blanck, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Paige Tolbert, Emory University; Carol Rubin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Alden K. Henderson, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Michele Marcus, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2007-10
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.05.031
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Chemosphere
• ISSN: 0045-6535
• Volume: 69
• Issue: 8
• Start Page: 1295
• End Page: 1304
• Grant/Funding Information: Funding for this research was provided by US EPA (R 825300), NIEHS (RO1 ES08341, R01 ES012014), and by CDC cooperative agreement U37/CCU500392.
• Keywords: PCB; environmental toxicants; maternal exposures; infant health; birth weight; PBB; gestational age
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

Understanding the influence of maternal exposures on gestational age and birth weight is essential given that pre-term and/or low birth weight infants are at risk for increased mortality and morbidity. We performed a retrospective analysis of a cohort exposed to polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) through accidental contamination of cattle feed and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) through residual contamination in the geographic region. Our study population consisted of 444 mothers and their 899 infants born between 1975 and 1997. Using restricted maximum likelihood estimation, no significant association was found between estimated maternal serum PBB at conception or enrollment PCB levels and gestational age or infant birth weight in unadjusted models or in models that adjusted for maternal age, smoking, parity, infant gender, and decade of birth. For enrollment maternal serum PBB, no association was observed for gestational age. However, a negative association with high levels of enrollment maternal serum PBB and birth weight was suggested. We also examined the birth weight and gestational age among offspring of women with the highest (10%) PBB or PCB exposure, and observed no significant association. Because brominated compounds are currently used in consumer products and therefore, are increasingly prevalent in the environment, additional research is needed to better understand the potential relationship between in utero exposure to brominated compounds and adverse health outcomes.