Environmental Chemicals in an Urban Population of Pregnant Women and Their Newborns from San Francisco

Abstract

Exposures to environmental pollutants in utero may increase the risk of adverse health effects. We measured the concentrations of 59 potentially harmful chemicals in 77 maternal and 65 paired umbilical cord blood samples collected in San Francisco during 2010-11, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hydroxylated PBDEs (OH-PBDEs), and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in serum, and metals in whole blood. Consistent with previous studies, we found evidence that concentrations of mercury (Hg) and lower-brominated PBDEs were often higher in umbilical cord blood or serum than in maternal samples (median cord:maternal ratio > 1), while for most PFCs and lead (Pb), concentrations in cord blood or serum were generally equal to or lower than their maternal pair (median cord:maternal ratio ≤ 1). In contrast to the conclusions of a recent review, we found evidence that several PCBs and OCPs were also often higher in cord than maternal serum (median cord:maternal ratio > 1) when concentrations are assessed on a lipid-adjusted basis. Our findings suggest that for many chemicals, fetuses may experience higher exposures than their mothers, and highlight the need to characterize potential health risks and inform policies aimed at reducing sources of exposure.

Developmental PBDE Exposure and IQ/ADHD in Childhood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Because they can be present in significant quantities in products (5–30% by weight) ( Darnerud et al 2001 ; World Health Organization 1994 ) and because they are additives rather than covalently bound to consumer products, there is higher potential for leaching, volatilization, or degradation, leading to consumer and environmental exposures ( Darnerud et al 2001 ; Gill et al 2004 ; Watanabe and Sakai 2003 ). Human exposures are ubiquitous beginning in utero ( Morello-Frosch et al 2016 ; Woodruff et al 2011b ), which is a highly vulnerable period of human brain development ( Grandjean et al 2008 ), and PBDEs have been found pervasively in U.S. household dust samples ( Darnerud et al 2001 ; Frederiksen et al 2009 ; Mitro et al 2016 ). Levels of PBDEs measured in Americans are the highest in the world, due to greater historic use of these chemicals in the U.S. than elsewhere because of differences in regulatory standards across countries ( Besis and Samara 2012 ; Frederiksen et al 2009 ).…”

Serum Levels of Commonly Detected Persistent Organic Pollutants and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) and Mammographic Density in Postmenopausal Women

“…Laboratory measurements: Blood samples were processed within hours of collection, and the separated serum stored at −20 • C until analysis. Laboratory methods for the measurement of serum levels of PBDEs, PFASs, and PCBs were described previously [13,16,40]. Briefly, PCBs and PBDEs were measured using automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography (GC)/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS); PFASs were measured using an online SPE-liquid chromatography-tandem MS (SPE-LC-MS/MS) method.…”

Supporting dataset and methods for Transplacental Transfer of Organochlorine Pesticides: Concentration Ratio and Chiral Properties

“…(Median concentration and IQR, presented in ng g −1 lipid). Cord serum to maternal serum, (R cm , lipid adjusted) Placenta to maternal serum, (R pm , lipid adjusted), Cord serum to maternal serum, (R cm , fresh weight based) Location of the study n Median IQR n Median IQR Median IQR β-HCH 38 0.63 (0.48,0.79) 38 0.39 (0.26,0.51) 0.21 (0.16,0.30) Wuhan, China [1] 28 1.00 (0.9,1.2) 0.30 (0.2,0.5) San Francisco, USA [11] 73 0.76 (0.50,1.07) 75 0.25 (0.16,0.33) 0.22 (0.15,0.37) Shanghai, China [3] 247 0.70 (0.46,0.94) 48 0.61 (0.36,0.86) 0.34 (0.23,0.46) Spain [8] 147 0.83 a – – – – – – Korea [12] p,p'- DDE 50 1.07 (0.95,1.19) 48 0.48 (0.29,0.77) 0.38 (0.33,0.48) Wuhan, China [1] 62 1.10 (1.0,1.3) – – – 0.40 (0.3,0.5) San Francisco, USA [11] …”