Sunday, October 23, 2011

Birth Defects in Half of All Newborns?


Persistent Organic Pollutants Could Lead to Birth Defects in Half of All Newborns by Anthony Gucciardi of Blacklisted News Gucciardi is reporting on new research that has conclusively linked organic pollutants with birth defects. Keep in mind that the organic pollutants in this study are not "natural" and are not naturally in our environment
http://www.blacklistednews.com/Persistent_Organic_Pollutants_Could_Lead_to_Birth_Defects_in_Half_of_All_Newborns/16241/0/38/38/Y/M.html


I am going to post the link to the original research study and the abstract of that study here:
 
Association of selected persistent organic pollutants in the placenta with the risk of neural tube defects.Ren A, Qiu X, Jin L, Ma J, Li Z, Zhang L, Zhu H, Finnell RH, Zhu T. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Association%20of%20selected%20persistent%20organic%20pollutants%20in%20the%20placenta%20with%20risk%20of%20neural%20tube%20defects.

SourceInstitute of Reproductive and Child Health and Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China. renag@bjmu.edu.cn

Abstract

"Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been associated with a wide range of adverse health effects. Our case-control study was performed to explore the association between placental levels of selected POPs and risks for neural tube defects (NTDs) in a Chinese population with a high prevalence of NTDs. Cases included 80 fetuses or newborns with NTDs, whereas the controls were 50 healthy, nonmalformed newborn infants. Placental concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The medians of PAHs, o,p'-isomers of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and metabolites, α- and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and α-endosulfan were significantly higher in case placentas than in controls. PAH concentrations above the median were associated with a 4.52-fold [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.10-9.74) increased risk for any NTDs, and 5.84- (95% CI, 2.28-14.96) and 3.71-fold (95% CI, 1.57-8.79) increased risks for anencephaly and spina bifida, respectively.

A dose-response relationship was observed between PAH levels and the risk of NTDs, with odds ratios for the second, third, and fourth quartiles, compared with the first, of 1.77- (95% CI, 0.66-4.76), 3.83- (95% CI, 1.37-10.75), and 11.67-fold (95% CI, 3.28-41.49), respectively. A dose-response relationship was observed for anencephaly and spina bifida subtypes.

Similar results were observed for o,p'-DDT and metabolites, α-HCH, γ-HCH, and α-endosulfan, whereas no dose-response relationship was observed for the last two pollutants. Elevated placental concentrations of PAHs, o,p'-DDT and metabolites, and α-HCH were associated with increased risks of NTDs in this population."




1 comment:

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