Assessment of prenatal exposure to PCBs from maternal consumption of Great Lakes fish: An analysis of PCB pattern and concentration

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1999 · Environmental Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1006/enrs.1998.3905· OSTI ID:355605

Stewart, P; Darvill, T; Lonky, E; Reihman, J; Pagano, J ^[1]; Bush, B ^[2]

---

1. State Univ. of New York, Oswego, NY (United States)
2. New York State Dept. of Health, Albany, NY (United States)

The current study was designed to assess the pattern and concentration of prenatal PCB exposure in the newborns of women who consumed Great Lakes fish. The authors compared the pattern and concentration of umbilical cord blood PCBs of 145 women who reported never having consumed Great Lakes fish to 134 women who reported consuming at least 40 PCB-equivalent fish lbs of Great Lakes fish in their lifetime. Although the average levels of total PCBs in cord blood were exceedingly low (approximately 1.0 ppb), the data clearly indicated that both the proportion and the absolute concentration of the most heavily chlorinated and persistent PCB homologues (homologues C17-C19) were markedly elevated in the cord blood of fish eaters. This effect grew markedly as a function of the total PCBs detected in the sample. Moreover, the concentration of the most heavily chlorinated PCB homologues was significantly dependent on how recently the fish were consumed relative to pregnancy.

• OSTI ID: 355605
• Report Number(s): CONF-9705313--
• Journal Information: Environmental Research, Journal Name: Environmental Research Journal Issue: 2Pt2 Vol. 80; ISSN ENVRAL; ISSN 0013-9351
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FISHES
FOOD CHAINS
GREAT LAKES
HEALTH HAZARDS
MAN
MEMBRANE TRANSPORT
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
PRENATAL EXPOSURE
WATER POLLUTION