Prenatal exposure to PCBs and neurological and sexual/pubertal development from birth to adolescence

Abstract

Several chemical compounds are resistant to degradation and end up in the food chain. One group of these chemicals is polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which are used as flame retardants and plasticizers. Although PCBs were banned several decades ago, PCBs are still found in environmental media, including in the body of humans. PCBs are transferred from mother to fetus via the placenta during pregnancy. Considering that the prenatal period is a sensitive period during which essential developmental processes take place, exposure to environmental chemicals might have considerable and permanent consequences for outcomes in later life. The aim of this review is to provide an update on the latest insights on the effects of prenatal exposure to PCBs on neurological, sexual and pubertal development in children. We give an overview of recent literature, and discuss it in the light of the findings in a unique Dutch birth cohort, with data on both neurological and pubertal development into adolescence. The findings in the studies included in this review, together with the findings in the Dutch cohort, demonstrate that prenatal exposure to PCBs can interfere with normal child development, not only during the perinatal period, but up to and including adolescence. Higher prenatal exposure to PCBs was found to be both negatively and positively associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes. Regarding pubertal development, higher prenatal PCB exposure was found to be associated with more advanced pubertal development, also in the Dutch cohort, whereas other studies also found delayed pubertal development. These findings raise concern regarding the effects of man-made chemical compounds on child development. They further contribute to the awareness of how environmental chemical compounds can interfere with child development and negatively influence healthy ageing.

Neurobehavioural and cognitive effects of prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds in three year old children

“…The frame of the continuous performance test of the NES3 was used to develop a test which might be feasible for 3 year old children. We noticed that most children didn't complete [2]. In contrast to others, we didn't find any influence of breastfeeding [53][54][55].…”

“…parental smoking [47]. Effects on temperament related to PCBs or dioxinlike compounds have not been frequently reported in toddlers [2]. Our results reported in Table 6.…”

“…PCBs can cross the placenta causing prenatal exposure in the developing foetus and accumulates in breast milk. Literature suggests that compared to exposures later in life, foetuses and children are much more susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of PCB exposure, especially prenatally and possibly also in the first years of life [2]. The organochlorine pesticides HCB and DDE also are classified as persistent organic pollutants.…”

Exercise influences the impact of polychlorinated biphenyl exposure on immune function

“…Quite a bit is known about interactions between age and environmental factors of endocrine disruption per se [ 38 – 40 ]. Many studies have found that earlier exposure in the perinatal period leads to the greatest alterations in behavior and physiology [ 41 , 42 ]. This early period is characterized with vulnerable physiological and anatomical development including brain regions involved in cognition, emotion and motivation.…”

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in fish from two coastal lagoons of the central Mexican Pacific

“…Similarly, PCBs interfere with the function of various neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, affecting brain function (Mariussen & Fonnum 2003). Other studies show an association between exposure to PCBs and motor and cognitive delay in infants (Berghuis & Roze 2019). This would be closely related to the powerful interaction of PCBs with thyroid hormones (Prezioso et al 2018); these displace thyroxine from its carrier protein, fetal transthyretin, allows thyroid hormone to enter the fetal brain, thus having the potential to alter normal brain development (Miller-Pérez et al 2009).…”