Abstract
The aim of this study was to characterize the placental transfer of some environmental pollutants, and to explore the possibility of quantitatively predicting in utero exposure to these contaminants from concentrations assessed in maternal blood. Levels of toxic substances such as pesticides (p,p’-DDE, β-HCH, and HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were determined in serum samples of 38 pregnant women living in Rome and in samples of cord blood from their respective newborns. The study was carried out in the years 2008–2009. PCB mean concentrations in maternal serum and cord serum ranged from 0.058 to 0.30, and from 0.018 to 0.064 ng/g·fw respectively. Arithmetic means of PFOS and PFOA concentrations in mothers and newborns were 3.2 and 1.4 ng/g·fw, and 2.9 and 1.6 ng/g·fw. A strong correlation was observed between concentrations in the maternal and the foetal compartment for PFOS (Spearman r = 0.74, p < 0.001), PFOA (Spearman r = 0.70, p < 0.001), PCB 153 (Spearman r = 0.60, p < 0.001), HCB (Spearman r = 0.68, p < 0.001), PCB 180 (Spearman r = 0.55, p = 0.0012), and p,p’-DDE (Spearman r = 0.53, p = 0.0099). A weak correlation (p < 0.1) was observed for PCBs 118 and 138.
Highlights
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a group of toxic chemicals widely distributed in the environment which includes polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides and perfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs)
Because of the importance of the fetal period with regard to development and differentiation, in utero exposure to POPs is of particular concern
This study addressed the partition of priority POPs between maternal and fetal serum, with the main objective to explore if a quantitative correlation could be defined to predict in utero exposure from maternal serum levels
Summary
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a group of toxic chemicals widely distributed in the environment which includes polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides and perfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs). These chemicals have been recognised as a threat to the environment and human health because of their high chemico-physical stability, long environmental and biological persistence, and a wide range of toxic effects. As a consequence of POP toxic effects on human health, a number of regulatory measures have been undertaken at an international level to eliminate or reduce their release into the environment and human exposure. Biomonitoring is recognised as the most effective tool to characterize exposure to POPs since it provides the direct measurement of the internal dose of a chemical resulting from all sources and pathways, which represents the most appropriate dose-metric for risk assessment [20]
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