Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have become widespread environmental contaminants because of their extensive usage, long-range transport and persistence in adipose tissues of humans and animals.
Their effects of exposure in vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and newborns is of the utmost importance. Environmental exposures to PCBs have been associated with many toxic adverse effect, including effect on the endocrine and reproductive systems.
Objectives: To assess PCBs body burdens through measurement of these chemicals in maternal serum and to examine associations between intrauterine exposure to PCBs and neonatal anogenital distance.
Methods: 295 mother-infant pairs were recruited at the delivery rooms of the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center and Tel-Aviv Medical Center during 2013-2015. Maternal blood samples retrieved at birth were analyzed for PCBs in 169 mothers. Newborns` AGD was measured on the first day of life.
Results: Mean penile width, anoscrotal length, and anopenile length were 11.04±1.14, 23.34±3.57, and 44.57± 4.7 mm in male infants (n=90); mean anoforchetall and anoclitoral distances were 14.36±2.17 and 34.15±2.74 mm in female infants (n=79).
Concentrations of all investigated congeners were detectable in all 169 maternal blood samples. Higher concentrations were associated with reduced anogenital distance measures in male infants but not in female infants.
Conclusions: This study is the first to report lipid-adjusted concentrations of PCBs in Israeli women. Moreover, this is the first report of a possible relation between PCBs concentrations and AGD in humans. Our results indicate that high maternal blood concentrations of PCBs correlate with reduced AGD in male newborns. More research is needed to discover the mechanism of which PCBs exposure in utero influences genital and endocrine development of the fetus.
