Relationships between concentrations of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids in cord blood and placental polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins (PCDD), dibenzofurans (PCDF), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) at delivery

Abstract

Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA), ARA and DHA have positive effects, and environmental toxins, polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) have negative effects on perinatal development. Previous studies showed that placental toxic equivalent (TEQ) levels of PCDD/F and PCB correlated significantly with those of maternal blood, human milk, and cord blood in Taiwanese women, thus placental levels are considered indicators as perinatal accumulative exposure of dioxin and PCB (Chemosphere 54 (2004) 1459–1473). This study aimed to investigate correlations between cord blood concentrations of ARA/DHA with placental TEQ of PCDD/F and PCB in 31 pregnant women from Taiwan. Concentrations of ARA(wt%) in cord blood did not associate with placental TEQ of PCDD/F and indicator/dioxin‐like PCB(p=0.602–0.735). Cord blood DHA(wt%) also did not show correlations with PCDD (p=0.097), PCDF (p=0.219), indicator PCB (p=0.108) or dioxin‐like PCB (p=0.055). Future study will be directed to investigate relationships among food consumption and LCPUFA/dioxin/PCB levels in various peinatal biospecimens in a more representative sample size.