Exposure to Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethene (DDE) and Childhood Pulmonary Function

Abstract

Background: Longitudinal studies have shown that both prenatal and postnatal exposure to DDE leads to reduction in growth of height and increase in BMI during childhood. DDE is also known to interfere with normal pubertal growth and alter cellular and humoral immunity. In addition, prenatal DDE exposure has been linked with respiratory tract infections and increased risk of asthma in early childhood. Our aim was to investigate the effects of DDE exposure on childhood pulmonary function. Methods: We used data from an environmental epidemiologic study conducted in central Germany in children of ages 8-10 years during 1995-97. Pulmonary function were measured in three consecutive years while blood DDE levels were measured in 1995 and 1997. We used correlations, linear mixed models, and path analysis to assess the association between blood levels of DDE and repeated pulmonary function measurements. All models were adjusted for age, sex, birth weight, breast feeding duration, height, weight, smoking during pregnancy, parental history of asthma and environmental tobacco exposure. Results: We observed weak negative correlations between DDE levels and height, weight, FEV1 and FVC. Linear mixed models showed no significant associations between the burden of DDE and pulmonary function. Path-analytical models demonstrated that DDE measured at baseline (1995) had significant inverse indirect and total effects on FVC (total in 1995: -0.17 L per g/L of DDE; 1997: -0.18 L per g/L of DDE) and FEV1 (total in 1995: -0.15 L per g/L of DDE; 1997: -0.17 L per g/L of DDE) mediated through effects of DDE on height and weight after controlling for age, sex, breast feeding, and maternal smoking during pregnancy. Conclusions: Post-natal DDE exposure has adverse effects on pulmonary function mediated through its effects on height and weight in children. Further studies are needed to test these associations in other samples, preferable from a region with continuous high DDT application.