title: Environmental exposure to DDT and its metabolites in cord serum: Distribution, enantiomeric patterns, and effects on infant birth outcomes.
abstract: Previous in vivo studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is endocrine disrupting, and may cause adverse health risks to newborns. In this cross-sectional study, non-invasive cord serum samples were collected from maternal-neonate pairs of an island population. Concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were analyzed to provide insights into the environmental exposure patterns and to elucidate their effects on birth outcomes. The average concentrations of p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDD, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT and total DDTs were 0.463, 0.293, 0.089, 0.098, 0.441 and 1.384μgg-1lipid weight, respectively. Several maternal characteristics were identified as influencing factors on the environmental exposure distribution. The isomer ratios of individual components and the enantiomeric patterns of o,p'-DDD and o,p'-DDT indicated that historical technical DDT remains the predominant exposure source, though new sources of dicofol-type of DDT pollution must not be ignored. Using multivariable linear regression, increasing p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDT levels were found to be significantly associated with an increase in neonatal birth weight, which deserves additional attention to obesity risks. No other birth outcome was found to be significant regarding DDT exposure. These findings raise the awareness of the prenatal risk of DDT and its metabolites among infants in contaminated areas.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Chenye
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Mengling
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Division of Engineering and Applied Science, W. M. Keck Laboratories, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Fangxin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: wliu@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Weiping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003634:DDT / Q000032:analysis*; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D003634:DDT
keywords: Birth outcomes; Cord serum; DDT; Enantiomeric patterns; Environmental exposure