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Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds and neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone levels

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 20, pages 579–588 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

It has been suggested that prenatal exposure to some organochlorine compounds (OCs) may adversely affect thyroid function and may, therefore, impair neurodevelopment. The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship of cord serum levels of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (4,4′-DDT), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene (4,4′-DDE), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), four individual polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) congeners (118, 138, 153, and 180), and their sum, with neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in blood samples in a mother–infant cohort in Valencia, Spain. This study included 453 infants born between 2004 and 2006. We measured OC concentrations in umbilical cord serum and TSH in blood of newborns shortly after birth. Associations between neonatal TSH levels and prenatal OC exposure adjusted for covariates were assessed using multivariate linear regression analyses. Neonatal TSH levels tended to be higher in newborns with β-HCH levels in umbilical cord above 90th percentile (104 ng/g lipid) than in those with levels below the median (34 ng/g lipid), with an adjusted increment in neonatal TSH levels of 21% (95% confidence interval=−3, 51; P=0.09). No statistically significant association was found between the remaining OCs and TSH at birth. Prenatal exposure to β-HCH may affect neonatal thyroid hormone status and its function in neurological development.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to mothers who participated in the study and to the Obstetrics and Data Processing Departments of La Fe Hospital, Valencia. We also thank Richard Davies for editorial assistance. The study was funded by grants from Spanish Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science and Innovation (INMA G03/176, FIS 03/1615, FIS 04/1112, FIS 04/1509, FIS 06/1213, Programa Juan de la Cierva-FSE) and Conselleria of Sanitat, Generalitat Valenciana (030/2008, 036/2008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Public Health Research (CSISP), Environmental and Health Research Area, Conselleria de Sanitat, Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, Spain

    Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa, Mario Murcia, Virginia Fuentes & Ferran Ballester

  2. CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain

    Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa, Mario Murcia, Virginia Fuentes, Marisa Rebagliato & Ferran Ballester

  3. Laboratory of Medical Investigations, San Cecilio University Hospital, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa

  4. Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDÆA-CSIC), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Esther Vizcaino & Joan O Grimalt

  5. Research Foundation, La Fe Hospital, Valencia, Spain

    Virginia Fuentes

  6. Department of Clinical Analysis, Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, La Fe Hospital, Valencia, Spain

    Ana-Maria Garcia

  7. Department of Public Health, University of Miguel Hernandez (UMH), San Juan de Alicante, Spain

    Marisa Rebagliato

  8. Department of Health Sciences, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain

    Marisa Rebagliato

  9. Department of Nursing, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Ferran Ballester

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  1. Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa
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Correspondence to Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa.

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Lopez-Espinosa, MJ., Vizcaino, E., Murcia, M. et al. Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds and neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone levels. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 20, 579–588 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2009.47

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