Relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts, environmental tobacco smoke, and child development in the world trade center cohort

Publication Status is "Submitted" Or "In Press: 
LDEO Publication: 
Publication Type: 
Year of Publication: 
2007
Editor: 
Journal Title: 
Environmental Health Perspectives
Journal Date: 
Oct
Place Published: 
Tertiary Title: 
Volume: 
115
Issue: 
10
Pages: 
1497-1502
Section / Start page: 
Publisher: 
ISBN Number: 
0091-6765
ISSN Number: 
Edition: 
Short Title: 
Accession Number: 
ISI:000249904900044
LDEO Publication Number: 
Call Number: 
Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), are air pollutants released by the World Trade Center (WTC) fires and urban combustion sources. BaP-DNA adducts provide a measure of PAH-specific genetic damage, which has been associated with increased risk of adverse birth outcomes and cancer. We previously reported that levels of BaP-DNA adducts in maternal and umbilical cord blood obtained at delivery were elevated among subjects who had resided within I mile of the WTC site during the month after 9/11; and that elevated blood adducts in combination with in utero exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) were significantly associated with decreased fetal growth.OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess possible effects of prenatal exposure to WTC pollutants on child development.METHODS: After 11 September 2001, we enrolled a cohort of nonsmoking pregnant women who delivered at three lower Manhattan hospitals. We have followed a subset of children through their third birthdays and measured cognitive and motor development using the Bayley-II Scales of Child Development (BSID-II).RESULTS: In multivariate analyses, we found a significant interaction between cord blood adducts and in utero exposure to ETS on mental development index score at 3 years of age (p = 0.02 n = 98) whereas neither adducts nor ETS alone was a significant predictor of (BSID-II cognitive development.CONCLUSION: Although limited by small numbers, these results suggest that exposure to elevated levels of PAHs in conjunction with prenatal ETS exposure may have contributed to a modest reduction in cognitive development among cohort children.

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216UQTimes Cited:1Cited References Count:49

DOI: 
Doi 10.1289/Ehp.10144