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Updated: Jul 7, 2026
07:08
Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Prenatal exposures to persistent and non-persistent organic compounds and effects on immune system development
Irva Hertz-Picciotto1, Hye-Youn Park, Miroslav Dostal
1Center for Children's Environmental Health and Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. ihp@ucdavis.edu
Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology
|January 30, 2008
Summary
Environmental exposures during pregnancy can disrupt immune system development, leading to lifelong health issues like asthma and infections. Prenatal exposure to air pollutants and PCBs alters immune markers and thymus development, potentially impacting neurodevelopment.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Environmental Health
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Prenatal immune system development is crucial for lifelong health.
- Environmental factors can disrupt immune development, leading to diseases like asthma and autoimmune disorders.
- Immune and central nervous system development are interconnected.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review prenatal immune system development milestones.
- To present examples of environmental exposures altering immune markers.
- To highlight the link between immune development and neurobehavioral disorders.
Main Methods:
- Review of scientific literature on prenatal immune development.
- Analysis of a birth cohort study on air pollution (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and fine particles) and immune markers.
- Examination of a study on prenatal polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure and fetal thymus development.
Main Results:
- Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and fine particles (PM2.5) is associated with altered lymphocyte immunophenotypes and immunoglobulin E levels in cord blood.
- Higher maternal serum polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations correlate with smaller thymus size in neonates.
- Evidence suggests environmental disruption of immune development may influence neurobehavioral outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Environmental exposures during critical prenatal windows can significantly impact immune system development.
- Alterations in immune development due to environmental factors may have long-term health consequences, including increased susceptibility to infections and autoimmune diseases.
- The interplay between immune and central nervous system development suggests potential links between environmental exposures, immune dysregulation, and neurobehavioral disorders.
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