International Union for Circumpolar Health Ministry of Public Health and Social Development of RF Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Medical Polar Fund “Science” The Northern Forum

Abstracts

Child health. Women`s health

Due to global migration patterns, chemical peculiarities, biomagnification processes PCBs could reach high levels at the top links of Arctic food chains. As endocrine disruptors, low levels of PCBs could have an influence on human reproductive abilities and, passing placenta and being contained in breast milk, - on fetus development.

Materials and methods 346 pregnant women from 4 regions of Russian Arctic (Murmansk, Nenetsk, Taimyr and Chukotka regions) have been involved in GEF/AMAP/RAIPON project 2001-2005. Data base consisting of mothers questionnaire, delivery histories, newborn cards, as well as personal blood serum concentrations of 15 PCB congeners, permitted to assess menstrual status features, adverse pregnancy outcomes, newborns pathology and sex ratio in association with mothers PCBs body burden.

Results and conclusions Additional sources of exposure of Russian Arctic natives to PCBs are the secondary food contamination during storage, processing and preparation of food products due to indoor pollution of living quarters, kitchen and storage facilities, secondary use of tare from chemical compositions and technical liquids for home-made alcoholic beverages, fermentation of meat and fish in ground pits nearby polluted sites.

Adverse reproductive health effects associated with PCB exposure have been revealed. These effects have been detected for the sum of 15 PCB congeners, for 4 groups of congeners and for individual congeners. These effects are associated with relatively low levels of plasma PCB concentrations.

Concentrations of PCBs in plasma of women having adverse pregnancy outcomes, were higher (not always reliable), than of women with normal pregnancy and healthy progeny.

Reliably higher plasma concentrations of the majority of PCB congeners, groups of congeners and sum of PCB have been detected for women with premature deliveries, stillbirths and inborn malformations.

No valid data regarding PCB effects on miscarriages and low weight of newborns.

Early age of menses onset is associated with reliably higher concentrations of the majority of PCB congeners. No valid data regarding PCB effects on menstrual cycle duration. Short bleeding duration is associated with reliably lower concentrations of the majority of PCB congeners. Women with aches and cramps during menses have reliably lower concentrations of all 15 PCB congeners.

Girl’s mothers have higher concentrations of PCB merged congeners than boy’s mothers, but not statistically significant. Enhancing of PCB maternal plasma levels is associated with shift of newborns sex ratio. At relatively low PCB levels number of newborn boys is higher than the number of newborn girls. At maximal PCB levels sex ratio goes down towards 1.

No valid data regarding specific reproductive health effects of individual PCB congeners. Analysis of merged groups of PCB congeners indicates that low-chlorinated and high- chlorinated, planar and non-planar, dioxin-like and non-dioxin-like congeners could have an influence on reproductive health at very low levels of exposure.

Note. Abstracts are published in author's edition

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Last update: 06-Jul-2012 (11:52:05)