Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and offspring allergic sensitization and lung function at 20 years of age

• Published in: Clinical and experimental allergy 2016-02, Vol.46 (2), p.329-336
• Main Authors: Hansen, S., Strøm, M., Olsen, S. F., Dahl, R., Hoffmann, H. J., Granström, C., Rytter, D., Bech, B. H., Linneberg, A., Maslova, E., Kiviranta, H., Rantakokko, P., Halldorsson, T. I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Airway management; allergic sensitization; Asthma; Chromatography, Gas; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Pollutants - adverse effects; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hexachlorobenzene - adverse effects; Humans; Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; lung function; Male; Mass Spectrometry; Maternal Exposure - adverse effects; PCB; persistent organic pollutants (POPs); Pneumoviridae; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - adverse effects; Pregnancy; prenatal exposure; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects - epidemiology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology; Respiratory Function Tests; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0954-7894; 1365-2222
• DOI: 10.1111/cea.12631

Summary Background Prenatal exposures to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been associated with asthma medication use and self‐reported symptoms, but associations with lung function and allergic sensitization have been minimally explored. The aim of the study was to examine the associations between prenatal exposures to POPs and allergic sensitization and lung function in 20‐year‐old offspring. Methods In a Danish cohort of 965 pregnant women established in 1988–1989, six polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p’‐DDE) were quantified in archived maternal serum drawn in gestational week 30 (n = 872). Among those with available maternal exposure information, at age 20, 421 offspring attended attended a clinical examination including measurements of allergic sensitization (serum‐specific IgE ≥ 0.35 kUA/L) (n = 418) and lung function [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC)] (n = 414). Results There were no associations between maternal concentrations of POPs and offspring allergic sensitization at 20 years of age. Maternal concentrations of POPs were, however, positively associated with offspring airway obstruction (FEV1/FVC