title: Exposure to brominated trihalomethanes in water during pregnancy and micronuclei frequency in maternal and cord blood lymphocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Water disinfection by-products have been associated with an increased cancer risk. Micronuclei (MN) frequency in lymphocytes is a marker of genomic damage and can predict adult cancer risk.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated maternal exposure to drinking water brominated trihalomethanes (BTHM) in relation to MN frequency in maternal and cord blood lymphocytes.
  
  
  METHODS
  MN frequency was examined in 214 mothers and 223 newborns from the Rhea mother-child cohort in Crete, Greece, in 2007-2008. Residential BTHM water concentrations were estimated during pregnancy using tap water analyses and modeling. Questionnaires on water related habits were used to estimate BTHM exposure from all routes. Associations between BTHM and MN frequency were estimated using negative binomial regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BTHM concentrations in residential tap water during pregnancy ranged from 0.06 to 7.1 μg/L. MN frequency in maternal binucleated lymphocytes was found to increase with BTHM concentrations in residential water for exposure during the first [rate ratio (RR) for 1 μg/L=1.05; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.11] and second trimesters (RR for 1 μg/L=1.03; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.06), and through all routes of BTHM exposure during the first trimester (RR for 1 μg/week=3.14; 95% CI: 1.16, 8.50).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that exposure to BTHM may increase the frequency of MN in maternal binucleated lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
authors.forename: Leslie Thomas
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Stayner
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Evridiki
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patelarou
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Decordier
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vande Loock
authors.forename: Leda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chatzi
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Espinosa
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fthenou
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nieuwenhuijsen
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gracia-Lavedan
authors.forename: Euripides G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Stephanou
authors.forename: Micheline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirsch-Volders
authors.forename: Manolis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogevinas
mesh_terms: D060766:Drinking Water / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011247:Pregnancy; D022882:Trihalomethanes / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D022882:Trihalomethanes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical