Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and sex-specific neonatal outcomes in the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort

Abstract

Early-life exposure to environmental contaminants, such as endocrine disrupting persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), is linked to adverse neonatal outcomes. However, the sex-specific effects of POP mixtures and the potential mediating roles of biological pathways, such as inflammation, remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate these aspects within the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. The study population consisted of newborns (n = 402) from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, of which cord plasma levels of POPs were quantified using GC-ECNI/MS. Neonatal birth outcomes were derived from anthropometric measurements obtained at birth and via questionnaires completed postpartum. Among the 28 targeted POPs, nine were found in more than 50 % of the samples with CB 170, 180 and 153 detected in over 98 % of them. In single-pollutant models, several PCBs were inversely associated with ponderal index, while CB 118 was positively associated with head circumference in males (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05). Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression revealed that in males, the POP mixture was inversely associated with birth weight (beta = -141.21, p < 0.05) and ponderal index (beta = -0.11, p < 0.01) and positively associated with head circumference (beta = 0.53, p < 0.01) and the odds of preterm birth (OR = 2.91, p < 0.05). Conversely, among females, the POP mixture was associated with reduced odds of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) (OR = 0.21, p < 0.05) and below normal APGAR scores (OR = 0.39, p < 0.05). Mediation analysis indicated that the association between p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) and reduced birth weight/length was significantly mediated by eosinophil levels.