Abstract
Prenatal chemical exposure has been frequently associated with reduced fetal growth by single pollutant regression models although inconsistent results have been obtained. Our study estimated the effects of exposure to single pollutants and mixtures on birth weight in 248 mother-child pairs. Arsenic, copper, lead, manganese and thallium were measured in cord blood, cadmium in maternal blood, methylmercury in maternal hair, and five organochlorines, two perfluorinated compounds and diethylhexyl phthalate metabolites in cord plasma. Daily exposure to particulate matter was modeled and averaged over the duration of gestation. In single pollutant models, arsenic was significantly associated with reduced birth weight. The effect estimate increased when including cadmium, and mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP) co-exposure. Combining exposures by principal component analysis generated an exposure factor loaded by cadmium and arsenic that was associated with reduced birth weight. MECPP induced gender specific effects. In girls, the effect estimate was doubled with co-exposure of thallium, PFOS, lead, cadmium, manganese, and mercury, while in boys, the mixture of MECPP with cadmium showed the strongest association with birth weight. In conclusion, birth weight was consistently inversely associated with exposure to pollutant mixtures. Chemicals not showing significant associations at single pollutant level contributed to stronger effects when analyzed as mixtures.
Highlights
Over the last decade, epidemiological studies have frequently shown that the intra uterine environment does not always sufficiently protect the fetus from environmental factors
All the significant associations that were observed in our study between prenatal chemical exposures and birth weight were negative associations, irrespective of the statistical models that were used
Of the 16 exposure parameters that were studied by single pollutant regression models, only cord arsenic levels showed a statistically significant negative association with birth weight
Summary
Epidemiological studies have frequently shown that the intra uterine environment does not always sufficiently protect the fetus from environmental factors. Dietary factors, and exposure to environmental chemicals have a measurable influence on fetal growth and fetal development with consequences on birth outcome, child development and adult health [1,2,3]. Evidence is accumulating that early life exposures induce changes in fetal growth patterns. Altered fetal programming leads to non-adaptive postnatal responses that become manifest as excessive weight gain and insulin resistance [4]. These are risk factors for adult diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers [5]. As overweight and obesity reach epidemic proportions, it is very important to identify the risk factors
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