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Fetal Thyroid Function, Birth Weight, and in Utero Exposure to Fine Particle Air Pollution: A Birth Cohort Study
Thyroid hormones are critical for fetal development and growth. Whether prenatal exposure to fine particle air pollution (≤ 2.5 μm; PM ) affects fetal thyroid function and what the impact is on birth weight in normal healthy pregnancies have not been studied yet. We studied the impact of third-trime...
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Published in: | Environmental health perspectives 2017-04, Vol.125 (4), p.699-705 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Thyroid hormones are critical for fetal development and growth. Whether prenatal exposure to fine particle air pollution (≤ 2.5 μm; PM
) affects fetal thyroid function and what the impact is on birth weight in normal healthy pregnancies have not been studied yet.
We studied the impact of third-trimester PM
exposure on fetal and maternal thyroid hormones and their mediating role on birth weight.
We measured the levels of free thyroid hormones (FT
, FT
) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in cord blood (
= 499) and maternal blood (
= 431) collected after delivery from mother-child pairs enrolled between February 2010 and June 2014 in the ENVIR
AGE birth cohort with catchment area in the province of Limburg, Belgium.
An interquartile range (IQR) increment (8.2 μg/m
) in third-trimester PM
exposure was inversely associated with cord blood TSH levels (-11.6%; 95% CI: -21.8, -0.1) and the FT
/FT
ratio (-62.7%; 95% CI: -91.6, -33.8). A 10th-90th percentile decrease in cord blood FT
levels was associated with a 56 g decrease in mean birth weight (95% CI: -90, -23). Assuming causality, we estimated that cord blood FT
mediated 21% (-19 g; 95% CI: -37, -1) of the estimated effect of an IQR increment in third-trimester PM
exposure on birth weight. Third-trimester PM
exposure was inversely but not significantly associated with maternal blood FT
levels collected 1 day after delivery (-4.0%, 95% CI: -8.0, 0.2 for an IQR increment in third-trimester PM
).
In our study population of normal healthy pregnancies, third-trimester exposure to PM
air pollution was associated with differences in fetal thyroid hormone levels that may contribute to reduced birth weight. Additional research is needed to confirm our findings in other populations and to evaluate potential consequences later in life. |
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ISSN: | 0091-6765 1552-9924 |
DOI: | 10.1289/EHP508 |