Birth Delivery Mode Modifies the Associations between Prenatal Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) and Neonatal Thyroid Hormone Levels

Abstract

Background

Developing infants may be especially sensitive to hormone disruption from chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).

Objective

We investigated relationships between cord serum levels of PCBs and PBDEs and thyroid hormones measured in cord blood serum and neonatal blood spots.

Methods

We measured PCBs and PBDEs, thyrotropin (TSH), thyroxine (T ₄) and free T ₄ (FT ₄) in cord blood serum from 297 infants who were delivered at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2004–2005. We abstracted results of total T ₄ (TT ₄) measured in blood spots collected in the hospital and at neonatal visits. We used delivery mode (augmented vaginal deliveries and nonelective cesarean deliveries) as a surrogate for intrapartum stress, which is known to alter cord blood thyroid hormones.

Results

In the full study population, no compounds were associated with a change in average TSH, FT ₄, or TT ₄. BDE-100 was associated with increased odds of low cord TT ₄, BDE-153 with increased odds of low cord TT ₄ and FT ₄, and no compounds were associated with increased odds of high TSH. For infants born by spontaneous, vaginal, unassisted deliveries, PCBs were associated with lower cord TT ₄ and FT ₄ and lower TT ₄ measured in neonatal blood spots. PBDEs showed consistent but mainly nonsignificant negative associations with TT ₄ and FT ₄ measurements.

Conclusions

Prenatal PCB and PBDE exposures were associated with reduced TT ₄ and FT ₄ levels among infants born by spontaneous, unassisted vaginal delivery. Intrapartum stress associated with delivery mode may mask hormonal effects of PCBs and PBDEs.