Abstract
Prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposures are a public health concern due to their persistence and potential for reproductive and developmental harm. However, we have little information about the extent of fetal exposures during critical developmental periods and the variation in exposures for groups that may be more highly exposed, such as communities of color and lower socioeconomic status (SES). To characterize maternal–fetal PBDE exposures among potentially vulnerable groups, PBDE levels were examined in the largest sample of matched maternal serum, placenta, and fetal liver tissues during mid-gestation among a geographically, racially/ethnically, and socially diverse population of pregnant women from Northern California and the Central Valley (n = 180; 2014–16). Maternal–fetal PBDE levels were compared to population characteristics using censored Kendall’s tau correlation and linear regression. PBDEs were commonly detected in all biomatrices. Before lipid adjustment, wet-weight levels of all four PBDE congeners were highest in the fetal liver (p < 0.001), whereas median PBDE levels were significantly higher in maternal serum than in the fetal liver or placenta after lipid-adjustment (p < 0.001). We also found evidence of racial/ethnic disparities in PBDE exposures (Non-Hispanic Black > Latina/Hispanic > Non-Hispanic White > Asian/Pacific Islander/Other; p < 0.01), with higher levels of BDE-100 and BDE-153 among non-Hispanic Black women compared to the referent group (Latina/Hispanic women). In addition, participants living in Fresno/South Central Valley had 34% (95% CI: − 2.4 to 84%, p = 0.07) higher wet-weight levels of BDE-47 than residents living in the San Francisco Bay Area. PBDEs are widely detected and differentially distributed in maternal–fetal compartments. Non-Hispanic Black pregnant women and women from Southern Central Valley geographical populations may be more highly exposed to PBDEs. Further research is needed to identify sources that may be contributing to differential exposures and associated health risks among these vulnerable populations.
Highlights
Abbreviations body mass index (BMI) Body mass index MDL Method detection limit maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) Maximum likelihood estimation methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) Methyl tert-butyl ether polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers socioeconomic status (SES) Socioeconomic status UCSF University of California, San Francisco US United States WOC Women’s Options Center
The majority of women were born in the United States; birth country was missing for n = 56 (31%) study participants
Women born outside the United States had lower PBDE levels than US-born women, which is consistent with previous literature[14,45]
Summary
Abbreviations BMI Body mass index MDL Method detection limit MLE Maximum likelihood estimation MTBE Methyl tert-butyl ether PBDE Polybrominated diphenyl ethers SES Socioeconomic status UCSF University of California, San Francisco US United States WOC Women’s Options Center. Because of differential maternal–fetal PBDE exposures and their developmental health effects, it is important to understand the relationship between maternal, placental, and fetal exposures during the critical period of placentation and fetal development that occurs in the second trimester of pregnancy. Levels of these persistent chemicals continue to accumulate in young infants and children (e.g., through early life exposures to breast milk and dust), increasing concerns about potential cumulative health impacts as children mature[8,31,32,33]
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