Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Oct;117(10):1600-6.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.0900611. Epub 2009 May 20.

Exposure to hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) in the prenatal period and subsequent neurodevelopment in eastern Slovakia

Hye-Youn Park  1 , June-Soo Park, Eva Sovcikova, Anton Kocan, Linda Linderholm, Ake Bergman, Tomas Trnovec, Irva Hertz-Picciotto
Affiliations

Exposure to hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) in the prenatal period and subsequent neurodevelopment in eastern Slovakia

Hye-Youn Park et al. Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs), unlike PCBs, are in general readily excreted yet are still detected in humans and animals. Active transport of OH-PCBs across the placenta and hydroxylation of PCBs by the fetus suggest the potential for greater impact on the fetus compared with the parent PCB compounds, but little is known about their health effects, particularly in humans.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations between prenatal OH-PCB exposure and neurodevelopment in children at 16 months of age in eastern Slovakia.

Methods: A birth cohort (n = 1,134) was enrolled during 2002-2004. We analyzed six OH-PCB metabolites (4-OH-CB-107, 3-OH-CB-153, 4-OH-CB-146, 3'-OH-CB-138, 4-OH-CB-187, and 4'-OH-CB-172) in a subset of the cohort. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered to the children at the 16-month follow-up visit. We developed multiple linear regression models predicting standardized scores for the Mental Development Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) from maternal (n = 147) and cord (n = 80) serum OH-PCB concentrations, adjusting for sex of child, district, HOME (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) score, and maternal score on Raven's Progressive Matrices.

Results: Cord 4-OH-CB-107 was significantly associated with lower MDI (beta = -2.27; p = 0.01) and PDI (beta = -4.50; p = 0.004). Also, maternal 4-OH-CB-107 was significantly associated with lower MDI (beta = -1.76; p = 0.03) but not PDI. No other OH-PCB metabolites were associated with decreased PDI or MDI.

Conclusions: Our findings showed a significant association of 4-OH-CB-107 with decreased MDI, which can possibly be mediated by endocrine disruption, altered neurotransmitter functions, or reduced thyroid hormone concentrations in brain.

Keywords: Bayley Scales of Infant Development; Slovakia; hydroxylated PCBs.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bayley N. Bayley Scales of Infant Development. 2nd ed. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation; 1993.
    1. Bemis JC, Seegal RF. PCB-induced inhibition of the vesicular monoamine transporter predicts reductions in synaptosomal dopamine content. Toxicol Sci. 2004;80:288–295. - PubMed
    1. Bergman Å, Klasson-Wehler E, Kuroki H. Selective retention of hydroxylated PCB metabolites in blood. Environ Health Perspect. 1994;102:464–469. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bradley RH, Caldwell BM. Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment: Administration Manual. Little Rock, AK: University of Arkansas; 1984.
    1. Brouwer A, Morse DC, Lans MC, Schuur AG, Murk AJ, Klasson-Wehler E, et al. Interactions of persistent environmental organohalogens with the thyroid hormone system: mechanisms and possible consequences for animal and human health. Toxicol Ind Health. 1998;14:59–84. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances