Effect of prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls on incidence of acute respiratory infections in preschool Inuit children.
OBJECTIVE
We set out to assess whether environmental prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is associated with incidence of acute respiratory infections in preschool Inuit children.


METHODS
We reviewed the medical charts of 343 children from 0 to 5 years of age and evaluated the associations between PCB-153 concentration in umbilical cord plasma and the incidence rates of acute otitis media (AOM) and of upper and lower respiratory tract infections (URTIs and LRTIs, respectively).


RESULTS
The incidence rates of AOM and LRTIs were positively associated with prenatal exposure to PCBs. Compared with children in the first quartile of exposure (least exposed), children in fourth quartile (most exposed) had rate ratios of 1.25 (p<0.001) and 1.40 (p<0.001) for AOM and LRTIs, respectively. There was no association between prenatal PCB exposure and incidence rate of URTIs or hospitalization.


CONCLUSIONS
Prenatal exposure to PCBs could be responsible for a significant portion of respiratory infections in children of this population.
Dallaire
Frédéric
F
Public Health Research Unit, Laval University Medical Center-Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Québec City, Québec, Canada.
Dewailly
Eric
E
Vézina
Carole
C
Muckle
Gina
G
Weber
Jean-Philippe
JP
Bruneau
Suzanne
S
Ayotte
Pierre
P
D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D004930:Inuit / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D020957:Nunavut; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000453:epidemiology; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008055:Lipids; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls