title: Prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and their hydroxylated metabolites is associated with neurological functioning in 3-month-old infants.
abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental chemicals which are potentially toxic to the developing brain. Their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs) are suggested to be even more toxic. Knowledge about the health effects of prenatal OH-PCB exposure is limited. We aimed to determine whether prenatal background exposure to PCBs and OH-PCBs is associated with neurological functioning in 3-month-old boys and girls. In a Dutch observational cohort study, we measured 10 PCBs and 6 OH-PCBs in maternal blood samples of 98 pregnant women. We assessed their infants neurologically with Touwen examination at 3 months and calculated an Optimality Score (OS, range 0-53, low-high optimality). We calculated correlation coefficients between compound levels and OS. Subsequently, we tested whether levels were associated with specific clusters and whether levels differed between infants with "normal" (dysfunction on ≤1 cluster) and "non-optimal" development (dysfunction on ≥2 clusters). The mean OS was 48 (range 44-52). Higher exposure to PCB-146 correlated significantly with higher OS (r = 0.209; p = 0.039). In boys, higher exposure to 4-OH-PCB-107 correlated with lower OS (r = -0.305; p = 0.030). Higher exposure to 9 PCBs and the sum of all PCBs was associated with better visuomotor and/or better sensorimotor function. Infants classified as "non-optimal" (n = 36) had significantly lower prenatal exposure to 6 PCBs and the sum of all PCBs (p < 0.05) compared with infants classified as "normal" (n = 62). In conclusion, higher prenatal exposure to Dutch background PCB levels is associated with better neurological functioning in 3-month-old infants. Prenatal exposure to 4-OH-PCB-107 is associated with less optimal neurological functioning in boys.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands s.a.berghuis@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: Sietske A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Berghuis
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Shalini D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Soechitram
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pieter J J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Arend F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Bos
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006900:Hydroxylation; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009420:Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: chemicals; children; hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls; neurodevelopment; polychlorinated biphenyls