American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access originally published online on May 5, 2008
American Journal of Epidemiology 2008 168(1):66-72; doi:10.1093/aje/kwn095
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ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS |
Fetal Growth Indicators and Perfluorinated Chemicals: A Study in the Danish National Birth Cohort
1 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
2 International Epidemiology Institute, Rockville, MD
3 Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
4 Institute of Public Health, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
Correspondence to Dr. Chunyuan Fei, Box 951772, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 650 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772 (e-mail: cfei{at}ucla.edu).
Received for publication November 8, 2007. Accepted for publication March 19, 2008.
Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) are widespread persistent organic pollutants that have been associated with reduced birth weight at doses expected in many pregnant populations. The authors randomly selected 1,400 pregnant women and their newborns from the Danish National Birth Cohort (1996–2002) to investigate whether these compounds reduce organ growth. PFOS and PFOA were measured in maternal blood samples taken early in pregnancy. Placental weight, birth length, and head and abdominal circumferences were measured shortly after birth by trained midwives or nurses. Maternal PFOA levels in early pregnancy were associated with smaller abdominal circumference and birth length. For each ng/ml increase in PFOA, birth length decreased by 0.069 cm (95% confidence interval: 0.024, 0.113) and abdominal circumference decreased by 0.059 cm (95% confidence interval: 0.012, 0.106). An inverse association was also observed between PFOA and placental weight and head circumference, and a positive association was observed with newborn ponderal index, but none of these associations was statistically significant. Maternal PFOS levels were not associated with any of the five fetal growth indicators. These findings suggest that fetal exposure to PFOA but not PFOS during organ development may affect the growth of organs and the skeleton.
birth weight; fetal development; perfluorooctanoic acid; perfluorooctane sulfonic acid; prenatal exposure delayed effects
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; PFOA, perfluorooctanoate; PFOS, perfluorooctanesulfonate