Follow-up study of reproductive hazards of multiparous women consuming PCBs-Contaminated rice oil in Taiwan

Abstract

In 1979, an epidemic of a peculiar skin disease occurred in central Taiwan. Investigations showed that affected individuals had consumed rice oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and thermal degradation products of PCB. Similar chemical exposure and clinical findings occurred in Japan, 1968. Rice-oil disease was called Yusho in Japanese and Yu-Cheng in Chinese. In Taiwan, major victims of PCB poisoning were students and factor workers 11 to 30 years of age. About 800 poisoned women of reproductive age might have been married or would get married after the poisoning. According to the age-specific general fertility rate in Taiwan, it was estimated about 270 PCB transplacental Yu-Cheng babies were born to these women between 1979 and 1986. Therefore, reproductive hazard was the most important problem under this circumstance. The complete reproductive outcomes of PCB-poisoned women were assessed in this study. The results include birth weights, placental weights, prenatal conditions, infant weights and growth curves of babies affected by transplacental PCB intoxication.