Abstract

Organochlorines, including pesticides (such as DDT) and industrial compounds (such as polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs), are ubiquitous in the environment. All humans are exposed to low levels of these compounds. Exposure begins before birth, since the compounds cross the placenta, and continues throughout life. Assessment of human exposure to these compounds and evaluation of potential health effects of that exposure is essential to understanding what dangers, if any, these compounds may pose to humans. (1) We examined patterns of exposure to PCBs, looking both at patterns seen within a single population and at comparison of exposures across populations. (2) We looked for a relationship of maternal concentrations of several pesticides and PCBs to birthweight of their children, and saw none. (3) In addition, several studies of health effects of the DDT family of compounds are underway. These include examinations of the relationship of prenatal exposure to adolescent body size, of adult exposure to timing of menopause, and of prenatal exposure to anogenital distance (a sensitive measure of prenatal hormone exposure) in newborn boys.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Type
Intramural Research (Z01)
Project #
1Z01ES040012-04
Application #
6837529
Study Section
(BB)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
U.S. National Inst of Environ Hlth Scis
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
State
Country
United States
Zip Code

  Publications

Kamel, F; Engel, L S; Gladen, B C et al. (2007) Neurologic symptoms in licensed pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study. Hum Exp Toxicol 26:243-50
Romano-Riquer, S Patricia; Hernandez-Avila, Mauricio; Gladen, Beth C et al. (2007) Reliability and determinants of anogenital distance and penis dimensions in male newborns from Chiapas, Mexico. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 21:219-28
Gladen, Beth (2006) Questions regarding the basis of the analyses in study of the relationship of maternal concentrations of dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE) and initiation and duration of breast feeding: extrapolations of organochlorine levels for estimating exposure Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 20:360-1; author reply 362-4
Ribas-Fito, Nuria; Gladen, Beth C; Brock, John W et al. (2006) Prenatal exposure to 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p'-DDE) in relation to child growth. Int J Epidemiol 35:853-8
Gladen, Beth C; Klebanoff, Mark A; Hediger, Mary L et al. (2004) Prenatal DDT exposure in relation to anthropometric and pubertal measures in adolescent males. Environ Health Perspect 112:1761-7
Longnecker, Matthew P; Wolff, Mary S; Gladen, Beth C et al. (2003) Comparison of polychlorinated biphenyl levels across studies of human neurodevelopment. Environ Health Perspect 111:65-70
Gladen, Beth C; Shkiryak-Nyzhnyk, Zoreslava A; Chyslovska, Nataliya et al. (2003) Persistent organochlorine compounds and birth weight. Ann Epidemiol 13:151-7
Gladen, Beth C; Doucet, Josee; Hansen, Larry G (2003) Assessing human polychlorinated biphenyl contamination for epidemiologic studies: lessons from patterns of congener concentrations in Canadians in 1992. Environ Health Perspect 111:437-43
Gladen, B C; Ragan, N B; Rogan, W J (2000) Pubertal growth and development and prenatal and lactational exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene. J Pediatr 136:490-6
Longnecker, M P; Gladen, B C; Patterson Jr, D G et al. (2000) Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in relation to thyroid hormone levels in neonates. Epidemiology 11:249-54

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