Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds and lung function during childhood

Alicia Abellan,Jordi Sunyer,Raquel Garcia-Esteban,Mikel Basterrechea,Talita Duarte-Salles,Amparo Ferrero,Judith Garcia-Aymerich,Mireia Gascon,Joan O Grimalt,Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa,Carlos Zabaleta,Martine Vrijheid,Maribel Casas

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.105049

Abstract

IntroductionPrenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) can increase the risk of reported respiratory symptoms in children. It remains unclear whether these compounds can also impact on lung function. We assessed the association between prenatal exposure to OCs and lung function during childhood. MethodsWe included 1308 mother-child pairs enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Prenatal concentrations of p,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [p,p′-DDT], p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene [p,p′-DDE], hexachlorobenzene [HCB], and seven polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs] were measured in cord blood. Spirometry was performed in the offspring at ages 4 (n = 636) and 7 years (n = 1192). ResultsMore than 80% of samples presented quantifiable levels of p,p′-DDE, HCB, PCB-138, PCB-153, and PCB-180; p,p′-DDE was the compound with the highest median concentrations. At 4 years, prenatal p,p′-DDE exposure was associated with a decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in all quartiles of exposure (e.g., third quartile [0.23–0.34 ng/mL]: β for FEV1 −53.61 mL, 95% CI −89.87, −17.35, vs. the lowest). Prenatal p,p′-DDE levels also decreased forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC, but associations did not reach statistical significance in most exposure quartiles. At 7 years, p,p′-DDE was associated with a decrease in FVC and FEV1 in only the second quartile of exposure (e.g. β for FEV1 −36.96 mL, 95% CI −66.22, −7.70, vs. the lowest). Prenatal exposure to HCB was associated with decreased FVC and FEV1, but in only the second quartile and at 7 years (e.g. [0.07–0.14 ng/mL]: β for FEV1 −25.79 mL, 95% CI −55.98, 4.39, vs. the lowest). PCBs were not consistently associated with lung function. ConclusionPrenatal exposure to p,p′-DDE may decrease lung function during childhood, especially FEV1 and at medium levels of exposure. Further and deeper knowledge on the impact of environmental chemicals during pregnancy on lung development is needed.

Highlights

Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) can increase the risk of reported respiratory symptoms in children
Mothers included in the analyses were slightly older, had higher education levels but lower social class, and were more likely to be European in comparison to the total sample (Supplementary Table S2)
We observed that prenatal exposure to p,p′DDE was associated with reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and with reduced forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC at 4 years, most of the associations with FVC and FEV1/FVC did not reach statistical significance

Summary

Introduction

Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) can increase the risk of reported respiratory symptoms in children. Exposure to environmental chemicals such as OCs during prenatal life may induce developmental adaptations of the lung and airways, leading to relatively small airways Such adaptations could lead to a reduction in expiratory flows - reflected by lower lung function values - and increasing the risk of adverse respiratory outcomes (Miller and Marty, 2010). Due to their persistence, OCs are still detectable in current populations' blood (Haug et al, 2018). General population is exposed mainly through diet, whereas foetuses and new-borns can be exposed to OCs through placental transfer and breastfeeding (Sunyer et al, 2005)

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