Associations between urinary biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and reproductive function during menstrual cycles in women.

Essentially all women are exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), formed during incomplete combustion of organic materials, including fossil fuels, wood, foods, and tobacco. PAHs are ovarian toxicants in rodents, and cigarette smoking is associated with reproductive abnormalities in women. Biomonitoring of hydroxylated PAH (OH-PAH) metabolites in urine provides an integrated measure of exposure to PAHs via multiple routes and has been used to characterize exposure to PAHs in humans. We hypothesized that concentrations of OH-PAHs in urine are associated with reproductive function in women. We recruited women 18-44years old, living in Orange County, California to conduct daily measurement of urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) and estrone 3-glucuronide (E13G) using a microelectronic fertility monitor for multiple menstrual cycles; these data were used to calculate endocrine endpoints. Participants also collected urine samples on cycle day 10 for measurement of nine OH-PAHs. Models were constructed for eight endpoints using a Bayesian mixed modeling approach with subject-specific random effects allowing each participant to act as a baseline for her set of measurements. We observed associations between individual OH-PAH concentrations and follicular phase length, follicular phase LH and E13G concentrations, preovulatory LH surge concentrations, and periovulatory E13G slope and concentration. We have demonstrated the feasibility of using urinary reproductive hormone data obtained via fertility monitors to calculate endocrine endpoints for epidemiological studies of ovarian function during multiple menstrual cycles. The results show that environmental exposure to PAHs is associated with changes in endocrine markers of ovarian function in women in a PAH-specific manner

Environmental Chemicals in an Urban Population of Pregnant Women and Their Newborns from San Francisco

Exposures to environmental pollutants in utero may increase the risk of adverse health effects. We measured the concentrations of 59 potentially harmful chemicals in 77 maternal and 65 paired umbilical cord blood samples collected in San Francisco during 2010–2011, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hydroxylated PBDEs (OH-PBDEs), and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in serum and metals in whole blood. Consistent with previous studies, we found evidence that concentrations of mercury (Hg) and lower-brominated PBDEs were often higher in umbilical cord blood or serum than in maternal samples (median cord:maternal ratio > 1), while for most PFCs and lead (Pb), concentrations in cord blood or serum were generally equal to or lower than their maternal pair (median cord:maternal ratio ≤ 1). In contrast to the conclusions of a recent review, we found evidence that several PCBs and OCPs were also often higher in cord than maternal serum (median cord:maternal ratio > 1) when concentrations are assessed on a lipid-adjusted basis. Our findings suggest that for many chemicals, fetuses may experience higher exposures than their mothers and highlight the need to characterize potential health risks and inform policies aimed at reducing sources of exposure