Preliminary assessment of exposure to persistent organic pollutants among pregnant women in Puerto Rico.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Puerto Rico has over 200 hazardous waste sites, as well as higher rates of several adverse health outcomes compared to the mainland US. In response to concerns of potential links between environmental contaminant exposure and preterm birth, the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) birth cohort was formed. Biomarkers of exposure for several contaminants have been found to be elevated in this cohort compared to women of child-bearing age in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). However, exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has not been evaluated.

Methods

In this preliminary analysis, we measured four classes of POPs, including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs),

SUBMITTER: Watkins DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6408968 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature