title: Does exposure to flame retardants increase the risk for preterm birth?
abstract: During the past 40 years, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely used as flame retardants and nearly all women have some level of exposure. PBDEs have been isolated from amniotic fluid and cord plasma indicating vertical transmission; however, their effects on pregnancy outcome are largely unknown. Therefore, we quantified PBDE-47, the most common congener in maternal plasma samples collected at the time of labor from women who subsequently had term or preterm birth (PTB). Women were then scored based on whether or not they had very low, low, medium, high or very high peripheral plasma concentrations of PBDE-47. Probit regression analysis suggested that women in the PTB group had a greater chance of scoring higher on this scale (P<0.001). Women with high (OR=3.8, CI: 1.6, 9.7; P=0.003) or very high PBDE-47 concentrations were at greater odds (OR=5.6, CI: 2.2, 15.2; P<0.001) for PTB than women with very low levels of PBDE-47. Results became even more significant after adjustment for maternal race, age, and marital status. These findings suggest that high levels of maternal exposure to PBDEs might increase the risk for PTB.
authors.affiliation: Women and Children's Health Research Laboratory, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY, USA. Electronic address: mpeltier@winthrop.org.
authors.forename: Morgan R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Peltier
authors.affiliation: Women and Children's Health Research Laboratory, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Winthrop University Hospital, Minoela, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Hschi-Chi
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permenante Southern California Medical Group, Pasadena, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Darios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Getahun
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Ramkumar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Menon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000097:blood* / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; C511295:2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether
keywords: Environmental toxins; Flame retardants; Inflammation; Preterm birth