Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
Child Health and Disease Service, Şanlıurfa Training and Research Hospital, Şanlıurfa, Turkey.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024 Jul 25;24(1):501. doi: 10.1186/s12884-024-06677-8.
Controversy surrounds the impact of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on fetal development. This study aimed to investigate levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in umbilical cord blood from Şanlıurfa mothers in Turkey, exploring associations with gestational age and birth weight.
Participants included voluntary mothers pregnant with a single fetus, providing details on maternal factors. Cord blood samples were collected immediately after delivery. Samples were extracted with a modified QuEChERS method, and OCPs (17 pesticides) and PCBs (11 congeners) compound levels were analyzed with a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry. Detection frequencies and levels of POPs by single pollutant type and pollutant groups were calculated and compared according to gestational duration and birth weight. We used partial least squares discriminant analysis to identify the key chemicals and distinguish their respective statuses.
Among 120 infants, 35 were preterm but appropriate for gestational age, 35 were term but small for gestational age (SGA), and 50 were term and appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Beta HCH, Oxy-Chlordan, and PCB 28, were not detected in cord blood samples. Half of the samples contained at least 4 types of OCPs, with a median OCP level of 38.44 ng/g. Among the DDT, 2,4'-DDE was found at the highest concentration in cord plasma samples. The PCB congeners with a frequency exceeding 50% were ranked in the following order: 151, 149, 138, 146. The median level of ∑PCBs was 5.93 ng/g. Male infants born at term with SGA status exhibited lower levels of ∑DDTs, ∑OCPs compared to male infants born preterm or at term with AGA status. Di-ortho-substituted PCBs and hexachlorinated PCBs were higher in male infants born at term with SGA status than male infants born preterm with AGA status.
Overall, exposure to DDT and PCBs demonstrates varying effects depending on gestational duration and birth weight, with exposure levels also differing by gender. This underscores the necessity for studies across diverse populations that investigate the combined effects of multiple pollutant exposures on gestational age, birth weight, and gender simultaneously.
持久性有机污染物 (POPs) 对胎儿发育的影响存在争议。本研究旨在探讨土耳其Şanlıurfa 地区脐带血中多氯联苯 (PCBs) 和有机氯农药 (OCPs) 的水平，研究其与胎龄和出生体重的关系。
研究对象为自愿参与的单胎妊娠母亲，详细记录了母亲的相关因素。在分娩后立即采集脐带血样本。样本采用改良的 QuEChERS 方法提取，采用气相色谱/质谱联用仪分析 OCPs（17 种农药）和 PCBs（11 种同系物）的含量。根据胎龄和出生体重计算并比较了单污染物类型和污染物组的 POPs 检出频率和水平。我们采用偏最小二乘判别分析识别关键化学物质并区分各自的状态。
在 120 名婴儿中，35 名是早产但适于胎龄儿，35 名是足月但小于胎龄儿（SGA），50 名是足月适于胎龄儿（AGA）。脐带血样本中未检出β-HCH、Oxy-Chlordan 和 PCB28。半数样本中至少含有 4 种 OCPs，OCP 中位数水平为 38.44ng/g。在 DDT 中，2,4'-DDE 在脐带血血浆样本中的浓度最高。频率超过 50%的 PCB 同系物依次为：151、149、138、146。∑PCBs 的中位数水平为 5.93ng/g。足月出生的 SGA 男婴的 ∑DDTs 和 ∑OCPs 水平低于足月出生的 AGA 男婴和早产的 AGA 男婴。足月出生的 SGA 男婴的邻位二取代 PCBs 和六氯代 PCBs 水平高于早产的 AGA 男婴。
总的来说，DDT 和 PCBs 的暴露会根据胎龄和出生体重的不同而产生不同的影响，而且暴露水平也因性别而异。这表明有必要在不同人群中进行研究，同时调查多种污染物暴露对胎龄、出生体重和性别的综合影响。
