Congenital Poisoning by Polychlorinated Biphenyls and their Contaminants in Taiwan

In 1979, a mass poisoning occurred in Taiwan from cooking oil contaminated by thermally degraded polychlorinated biphenyls. Because these chemicals persist in human tissue, children born to female patients after the outbreak were exposed in utero. In 1985, 117 children born to affected women and 108...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1988-07, Vol.241 (4863), p.334-336
Main Authors: Rogan, Walter J., Gladen, Beth C., Hung, Kun-Long, Koong, Shin-Lan, Shih, Ling-Yu, Taylor, James S., Wu, Ying-Chin, Yang, Dorothy, Ragan, N. Beth, Hsu, Chen-Chin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental poisoning
Acne
Biological and medical sciences
Birth defects
Bronchitis
Case studies
Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases
Chemical hazards
Children
Conjunctivitis - chemically induced
Conjunctivitis - congenital
Contamination
Dibenzofurans
Edible fats and oils
Female
Gingiva
Growth Disorders - chemically induced
Health aspects
Humans
Hyperpigmentation
Intelligence quotient
Lactation
Maternal-Fetal Exchange
Medical research
Medical sciences
Mothers
Nails, Malformed
Oils - adverse effects
Oils and fats, Edible
PCB
Physiological aspects
Pigmentation Disorders - chemically induced
Pigmentation Disorders - congenital
Poisoning, Accidental
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Polychlorinated Biphenyls - poisoning
Pregnancy
Taiwan
Toxicology
Various organic compounds
Wechsler scales
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Summary:In 1979, a mass poisoning occurred in Taiwan from cooking oil contaminated by thermally degraded polychlorinated biphenyls. Because these chemicals persist in human tissue, children born to female patients after the outbreak were exposed in utero. In 1985, 117 children born to affected women and 108 unexposed controls were examined and evaluated. The exposed children were shorter and lighter than controls; they had abnormalities of gingiva, skin, nails, teeth, and lungs more frequently than did controls. The exposed children showed delay of developmental milestones, deficits on formal developmental testing, and abnormalities on behavioral assessment. These findings are most consistent with a generalized disorder of ectodermal tissue. This syndrome is one of very few documented to result from transplacental exposure to pollutant chemicals.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.3133768