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Development after exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene transplacentally and
B C Gladen1, W J Rogan, P Hardy
1Statistics and Biomathematics Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
Insights
Prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is linked to lower infant psychomotor development. Breastfeeding exposure to PCBs or dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (DDE) did not show adverse effects on infant development scores.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Toxicology
Background:
- Persistent organic pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (DDE), are environmental contaminants.
- Infant development can be influenced by prenatal and postnatal exposures to various environmental factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between transplacental or breastfeeding exposure to PCBs and DDE and infant neurodevelopment.
- To assess the impact of these exposures on scores from the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 6 and 12 months of age.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study followed 858 infants from birth to 1 year.
- Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered at 6 and 12 months.
- Chemical measurements of PCB and DDE exposure were conducted independently.
Main Results:
- Higher transplacental exposure to PCBs correlated with lower psychomotor scores at 6 and 12 months.
- Higher transplacental exposure to DDE was associated with higher mental scores at 6 months, but not at 12 months.
- No significant association was found between breastfeeding exposure to PCBs or DDE and infant development scores.
Conclusions:
- Transplacental exposure to PCBs may negatively impact infant psychomotor development.
- No adverse developmental effects were observed from breastfeeding exposure to PCBs or DDE.
Objective:
To determine whether exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (DDE), either transplacentally or through breast feeding, affected scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 6 or 12 months of age.
Design:
Cohort followed from birth to 1 year of age.
Setting:
General community.
Participants:
Volunteer sample of 858 infants, of whom 802 had Bayley scores available at either 6 months or 12 months or both.
Interventions:
None.
Measurements And Main Results:
Bayley scales and chemical measurements were done independently. Higher transplacental exposure to PCBs was associated with lower psychomotor scores at both 6 and 12 months of age; the difference between the mean scores in the lowest and highest PCB groups was 7 points at 6 months and 8 points at 12 months. Higher transplacental exposure to DDE was associated with higher mental scores at 6 months of age (the difference between the mean scores in the lowest and highest DDE groups was 6 points), but no relationship was seen at 12 months. Exposure to either chemical through breast feeding was apparently unrelated to Bayley scores.
Conclusions:
Transplacental exposure to PCBs was associated with lower psychomotor scores. No deleterious effects were associated with breast feeding.