Abstract
BackgroundPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a kind of endocrine disruptors, which can enter human body by the inhalation of PAH-containing matter and the ingestion of PAH-containing foodstuffs. Studies showed that PAHs can cross the placental barrier and might cause adverse effects on the fetus.ObjectivesThis meta-analysis aimed to estimate the associations between prenatal exposure to PAHs and birth weight.MethodsArticles published in English until May 8, 2020 and reported the effects of prenatal exposure to PAHs on birth weight were searched in multiple electronic databases including PubMed, the Web of Science, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. The included studies were divided into three groups in accordance with the measurement of PAHs exposure. Then coefficient was extracted, conversed and synthesized by random-effects meta-analysis. And risk of bias was assessed for each study.ResultsA total of 3488 citations were searched and only 11 studies were included finally after double assessment. We found that there were no association between PAH-DNA adducts in cord blood (low/high) (OR: 1.0, 95%CI: 0.97, 1.03), 1-hydroxy pyrene (1-HP) concentration in maternal urine (OR: 1.0, 95%CI: 0.97, 1.03) and prenatal maternal airborne PAHs exposure (OR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.93, 1.01) and birth weight. However, we observed ethnicity may change the effects of PAHs exposure on birth weight.ConclusionsThere is no significant relationship between prenatal exposure to PAHs and birth weight in our meta-analysis. Further studies are still needed for determining the effects of prenatal PAHs exposure on birth weight.
Highlights
Growing number of studies showed that air pollution might play an important role in the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes [1,2,3]
We found that there were no association between Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-DNA adducts in cord blood (OR: 1.0, 95%confidence intervals (CIs): 0.97, 1.03), 1-hydroxy pyrene (1-HP) concentration in maternal urine (OR: 1.0, 95%CI: 0.97, 1.03) and prenatal maternal airborne PAHs exposure (OR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.93, 1.01) and birth weight
We observed ethnicity may change the effects of PAHs exposure on birth weight
Summary
Growing number of studies showed that air pollution might play an important role in the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes [1,2,3]. The fetal period is a critical period in the development of various systems, during which even slight exposure to chemicals might adversely affect morphology and functions of the systems. Birth weight is an important indicator of fetal growth and nutritional status, which is closely associated with a series of adult health outcomes. Studies have found that maternal exposure to lower concentrations of pollutants may affect fetal health, such as PAHs are a kind of endocrine disruptors that can cross the placental barrier into the fetus from the mother [11,12,13]. Studies showed that PAHs can cross the placental barrier and might cause adverse effects on the fetus
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