Effect of Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls on Incidence ofAcute Respiratory Infections in Preschool Inuit Children

Abstract

ObjectiveWe set out to assess whether environmental prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is associated with incidence of acute respiratory infections in preschool Inuit children.Study designWe reviewed the medical charts of 343 children from 0 to 5 years of age and evaluated the associations between PCB-153 concentration in umbilical cord plasma and the incidence rates of acute otitis media (AOM) and of upper and lower respiratory tract infections (URTIs and LRTIs, respectively).ResultsThe incidence rates of AOM and LRTIs were positively associated with prenatal exposure to PCBs. Compared with children in the first quartile of exposure (least exposed), children in fourth quartile (most exposed) had rate ratios of 1.25 (p < 0.001) and 1.40 (p < 0.001) for AOM and LRTIs, respectively. There was no association between prenatal PCB exposure and incidence rate of URTIs or hospitalization.ConclusionPrenatal exposure to PCBs could be responsible for a significant portion of respiratory infections in children of this population.

Effects of prenatal exposure to dioxin-like compounds on allergies and infections during infancy

“…In Japan, infants born to mothers occupationally exposed to high levels of PCBs have a higher frequency of colds and gastrointestinal complaints (Hara, 1985). In Inuit infants born to mothers who had ingested high levels of contaminated marine mammals, higher prenatal PCB exposure led to a significantly elevated incidence of infections such as acute otitis and respiratory problems (Dallaire et al, 2004(Dallaire et al, , 2006. On the Faroe Islands, PCB levels in maternal serum were inversely associated with an antibody response to diphtheria toxoid at 18 months of age and tetanus toxoid at 7 years of age (Heilmann et al, 2006).…”

Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor during development enhances the pulmonary CD4+ T-cell response to viral infection

“…Several epidemiological studies show that developmental exposures to pollutants that bind to the AHR correlate with increased incidence or severity of respiratory infections later in life, but why this occurs is unknown (12,13,15,20,22,38). There is a growing appreciation for the role of CD4 ϩ T cells in the pulmonary response to primary influenza virus infection, particularly when the CD8 ϩ T-cell response is blunted (7), as is the case after developmental exposure to TCDD (21,41).…”

“…One aspect surrounding respiratory infections that is poorly understood is why there is such variation in the severity of illness among infected individuals. Environmental exposures, especially early in life, are likely overlooked factors, as exposures during development correlate with increased severity of respiratory infections later in life (12,13,15,20,22,38). However, the cellular and molecular targets by which early life exposures have lasting effects on respiratory defenses are largely unexplored.…”

Methodological Limitations May Prevent the Observation of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in Bioassays of Polychlorinated Biphenyls

“…The increase in infection persisted at least until the age of five. An increased rate of otitis media for the first six months of life was also observed in the more highly PCB-exposed children in Nunavik (Dallaire et al 2004;Dallaire et al 2006) and in Dutch preschool children with higher current serum concentrations of PCBs (WeisglasKuperus et al 2000).…”