Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the risk of isolated congenital heart defects among offspring

Jenil Patel; Wendy N Nembhard; Maria D Politis; Carissa M Rocheleau; Peter H Langlois; Gary M Shaw; Paul A Romitti; Suzanne M Gilboa; Tania A Desrosiers; Tabassum Insaf; Philip J Lupo

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2020.109550

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Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the risk of isolated congenital heart defects among offspring

Journal article

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Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the risk of isolated congenital heart defects among offspring

Jenil Patel, Wendy N Nembhard, Maria D Politis, Carissa M Rocheleau, Peter H Langlois, Gary M Shaw, Paul A Romitti, Suzanne M Gilboa, Tania A Desrosiers, Tabassum Insaf, …

Environmental research, Vol.186, pp.109550-109550

07/2020

DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109550

PMID: 32335433

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/8756335View

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Abstract

Although there is evidence in experimental model systems that exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is linked with congenital heart defects (CHDs), few studies have examined the association in humans. We conducted a case-control study to examine the association between maternal exposure to PAHs and CHDs in offspring using data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) (1997–2011). We obtained detailed information on maternal occupation during the month before to three months after conception. Expert raters, masked to case-control status, assessed job descriptions to assign categorical levels of exposure. Categories were quantitatively mapped to estimate cumulative exposure to PAHs, incorporating exposure intensity, frequency, work duration, and work hours. Quartiles were generated for cumulative maternal exposure to PAHs. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression for quartiles of PAH exposure and six CHD groupings (e.g. conotruncal) and specific subtypes (e.g. tetralogy of Fallot [ToF]). Final models were adjusted for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, anticonvulsant use, folic acid supplementation, and study center. There were 4,775 case and 7,734 control infants eligible for the study. The prevalence of occupational exposure to PAHs was 10.2% among both case and control mothers. In adjusted analysis, compared to mothers with no occupational PAH exposure, those in the highest quartile of exposure were more likely to have offspring in the conotruncal heart defects group (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.00–2.00), and with ToF (OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.21–2.78). Women in the highest quartile of estimated cumulative occupational PAH exposure during early pregnancy were more likely to have offspring with conotruncal heart defects, specifically ToF, compared to women with no occupational PAH exposure. Other comparisons between PAHs and other CHDs subgroups did not show any statistically precise associations. •Mothers exposed to PAHs at work are at risk to deliver infants with heart defects.•Higher levels of PAHs at work are associated with conotruncal heart defects.•PAHs can cause oxidative stress to placenta that might explain our study findings.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Occupational health

Congenital heart defects

Details

Title: Subtitle: Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the risk of isolated congenital heart defects among offspring
Creators: Jenil Patel - Department of Epidemiology, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Wendy N Nembhard - Department of Epidemiology, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Maria D Politis - Department of Epidemiology, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Carissa M Rocheleau - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Peter H Langlois - Birth Defects Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, TX, USA
Gary M Shaw - Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
Paul A Romitti - Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Suzanne M Gilboa - National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
Tania A Desrosiers - Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Tabassum Insaf - Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
Philip J Lupo - Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Environmental research, Vol.186, pp.109550-109550
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109550
PMID: 32335433
NLM abbreviation: Environ Res
ISSN: 0013-9351
eISSN: 1096-0953
Publisher: Elsevier Inc
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100000030, name: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, award: 96043, 02081, DD09-001, DD13-003, DD18-001; DOI: 10.13039/100000030, name: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; DOI: 10.13039/100000125, name: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Language: English
Date published: 07/2020
Academic Unit: Epidemiology; Biostatistics
Record Identifier: 9984066112202771

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