title: Partition of environmental chemicals between maternal and fetal blood and tissues.
abstract: Passage of environmental chemicals across the placenta has important toxicological consequences, as well as for choosing samples for analysis and for interpreting the results. To obtain systematic data, we collected in 2000 maternal and cord blood, cord tissue, placenta, and milk in connection with births in the Faroe Islands, where exposures to marine contaminants is increased. In 15 sample sets, we measured a total of 87 environmental chemicals, almost all of which were detected both in maternal and fetal tissues. The maternal serum lipid-based concentrations of organohalogen compounds averaged 1.7 times those of cord serum, 2.8 times those of cord tissue and placenta, and 0.7 those of milk. For organohalogen compounds detectable in all matrices, a high degree of correlation between concentrations in maternal serum and the other tissues investigated was generally observed (r(2) > 0.5). Greater degree of chlorination resulted in lower transfer from maternal serum into milk. Concentrations of pentachlorbenzene, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane, and several polychlorinated biphenyl congeners with low chlorination were higher in fetal samples and showed poor correlation with maternal levels. Perfluorinated compounds occurred in lower concentrations in cord serum than in maternal serum. Cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium were all detected in fetal samples, but only mercury showed close correlations among concentrations in different matrices. Although the environmental chemicals examined pass through the placenta and are excreted into milk, partitions between maternal and fetal samples are not uniform.
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Larry L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Needham
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grandjean
authors.forename: Birger
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heinzow
authors.forename: Poul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Flemming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Donald G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sjödin
authors.forename: Wayman E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Pal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weihe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D002210:Caprylates / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism; D010575:Pesticides / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D010575:Pesticides; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls