Fetal Window of Vulnerability to Airborne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Proportional Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough the entire duration of fetal development is generally considered a highly susceptible period, it is of public health interest to determine a narrower window of heightened vulnerability to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in humans. We posited that exposure to PAHs during the first trimester impairs fetal growth more severely than a similar level of exposure during the subsequent trimesters.MethodsIn a group of healthy, non-smoking pregnant women with no known risks of adverse birth outcomes, personal exposure to eight airborne PAHs was monitored once during the second trimester for the entire cohort (n = 344), and once each trimester within a subset (n = 77). Both air monitoring and self-reported PAH exposure data were used in order to statistically estimate PAH exposure during the entire gestational period for each individual newborn.ResultsOne natural-log unit increase in prenatal exposure to the eight summed PAHs during the first trimester was associated with the largest decrement in the Fetal Growth Ratio (FGR) (−3%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI), −5 to −0%), birthweight (−105 g, 95% CI, −188 to −22 g), and birth length (−0.78 cm, 95% CI, −1.30 to −0.26 cm), compared to the unit effects of PAHs during the subsequent trimesters, after accounting for confounders. Furthermore, a unit exposure during the first trimester was associated with the largest elevation in Cephalization Index (head to weight ratio) (3 μm/g, 95% CI, 1 to 5 μm/g). PAH exposure was not associated with evidence of asymmetric growth restriction in this cohort.ConclusionPAH exposure appears to exert the greatest adverse effect on fetal growth during the first trimester. The present data support the need for the protection of pregnant women and the embryo/fetus, particularly during the earliest stage of pregnancy.

Early life exposure to air pollution induces adult cardiac dysfunction

“…In a study where exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, a contaminant found in air pollution) was monitored in pregnant women, increased PAH exposure during the first trimester increased the risk for fetal growth ratio reduction (7). This was confirmed in controlled animal studies where exposure to PAH altered placental vasculature, increased apoptotic markers during gestation, and reduced survival of resultant adult mice (11).…”

A review of PAH exposure from the combustion of biomass fuel and their less surveyed effect on the blood parameters

“…In atmosphere, the reactivity of PAHs is high when they are adsorbed on the surface of inorganic substances or on the outer surface of particles; moreover, the molecular signature of PAHs can be useful in source identification and characteristic behavior; however, the signatures are also modified following the ageing of PAHs (Cecinato et al 2014). PAHs have also been included in convention on long-range trans- Harrison et al 2009 In this context, the biomass smoke exposure is found to be associated with stunted growth (Kyu et al 2010), low birth weight (WHO 2010a(WHO , 2010bChoi et al 2012;Jedrychowski et al 2012) ) and are widely studied by scientific community because of being among the group of first possible carcinogenic pollutants to which the human population is exposed (WHO/IPCS 1998;IARC 1987). PAHs in the atmospheric can travel long distances, and the atmospheric precipitation can deposit them in water, soil and also vegetation (Kim et al 2013 and reference therein).…”

Association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and lead co-exposure with child physical growth and development in an e-waste recycling town

“…It is known that PAHs represent a class of toxicological compounds that could cause a variety of hazardous effects in vivo and in vitro even at low concentrations, leading to an increased risk of cancer, teratogenicity, and disruption of the endocrine system (Santodonato, 1997;Brody and Rudel, 2003;Ramirez et al, 2011;Tian et al, 2013;Yang et al, 2014). In particular, growing evidence supports the developmental toxicity from prenatal or early postnatal exposure to PAHs, may cause intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and lower birth weight (Choi et al, 2008(Choi et al, , 2012Jedrychowski et al, 2015;Perera et al, 2006). Before this study, we have investigated PAHs in umbilical cord blood samples collected from Guiyu.…”