F.P. Perera

Effects of prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and environmental tobacco smoke on child IQ in a Chinese cohort.

OBJECTIVE This study of a birth cohort in the city of Tongliang in Chongqing, China, evaluated the relationship between two prenatal exposures (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAH) and environmental tobacco smoke(ETS)) and child intelligence quotient (IQ) as measured by the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence at age 5 years. A coal-fired power plant was the major source of ambient PAH in this city. We tested the hypothesis that, after adjusting for potential confounders, prenatal exposure to these pollutants would be associated with lower IQ scores at 5 years of age. METHODS Nonsmoking mothers and children were enrolled before delivery. PAH exposure was measured by DNA adducts in umbilical cord white blood cells using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence. Estimated exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was based on personal interview. At age 5 years, scores for verbal, performance, and full scale IQ were obtained. Multiple regression was used to test the main effects of adducts and environmental tobacco smoke on IQ and to explore the interactions between these exposures on IQ. RESULTS after adjusting for potential confounders, neither DNA adducts nor exposure to environmental tobacco smoke had significant main effects on IQ. However, significant interactions between adducts and environmental tobacco smoke were observed on full scale (p=0.025) and verbal (p=0.029) IQ scores, indicating that the adverse effects of prenatal PAH exposure became greater as exposure to environmental tobacco smoke increased. The interaction on performance IQ score was not significant (p=0.135). CONCLUSION These results suggest that exposure of pregnant women to emissions of PAHs from the coal-burning plant, in combination with prenatal exposure to envrionmental tobacco smoke, may have adversely affected cognitive function of children at age 5. The polluting coal-fired plant has since been closed by the government, with likely important benefits to child health and development.

The association between benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts and body mass index, calorie intake and physical activity

Abstract Prior work suggests that body size and fat content may influence carcinogen-DNA adduct levels measured in white blood cells. Here we consider energy balance more broadly by assessing the impact of body mass index (BMI), physical activity and calorie intake on the presence of benzo[a]pyrene-DNA (BP-DNA) adducts in white blood cell DNA. Our cross-sectional study employed subjects from a separately conducted intervention trial. Physical activity and food intake data were collected at 12 and 15 months of follow-up, respectively. BP-DNA adducts were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in white blood cell samples collected at 12 months of follow-up. Complete data on all variables were available from 143 subjects. Logistic regression showed that BMI was inversely associated with the presence of detectable adducts (OR = 0.90, p=0.02), and that hours of moderate-intensity physical activity were positively associated with the presence of detectable adducts (OR = 1.04, p=0.04). These results provide further evidence that body fat content influences carcinogen-DNA adduct levels, probably by altering the distribution of the lipophilic parent compound.

DNA Adducts and Related Biomarkers in Assessing the Risk of Complex Mixtures

Risk assessment for complex mixtures is not merely a theoretical problem but a “real-life” one. Most common human exposures involve multiple chemicals and agents in combination. To illustrate, cigarette smoke contains more than 3,800 different chemicals including at least 40 carcinogens (i.e., known human or animal carcinogens) (41). More than 300 different toxic chemicals, including approximately 50 carcinogens, have been detected both in ambient air (18, 56) and in drinking water (29).

Assessment of exposure to air pollution in children: Determining whether wearing a personal monitor affects physical activity

ABSTRACT Personal air pollution monitoring in research studies should not interfere with usual patterns of behavior and bias results. In an urban pediatric cohort study we tested whether wearing an air monitor impacted activity time based on continuous watch‐based accelerometry. The majority (71%) reported that activity while wearing the monitor mimicked normal activity. Correspondingly, variation in activity while wearing versus not wearing the monitor did not differ greatly from baseline variation in activity (P = 0.84). HighlightsPersonal air pollution exposure should not interfere with usual patterns of behavior.Overall, personal pollution samplers did not influence usual patterns of behavior in children.Small decreases in activity while wearing the monitors were noted among the youngest participants.

Abstract LB-402: Chromosomal aberrations in 5-year olds and urinary PAH metabolites

Chromosomal aberrations (CAs) measured in cord blood are associated with maternal exposure to air Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) in newborns from the Columbia Center for Children9s Environmental Health (CCCEH). We hypothesize that naphthalene, a PAH not measureable in air levels and an IARC classified potential carcinogen, might be associated with chromosomal aberrations. Now in 90 five yr olds from this cohort we examined the association between stable CAs (including translocations) scored using whole chromosome painting Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization in chromosomes 1-6, 11,12,14,19 in peripheral blood, and specific gravity adjusted 1OH and 2OH naphthalene (1OHnaph and 2OHnaph) metabolites measured in simultaneously collected urine, using an automated liquid-liquid extraction and quantified by gas chromatography/isotope dilution high-resolution mass spectrometry. Dominican American (DA) 5 yr olds (n=50) had higher specific 2OHnaph levels (mean: 12535.9 ng/m 3 ; SD: 22227.6) than African American (AA) 5 yr olds (n=40)(mean: 4239.2 SD: 3397.0),(Wilcoxon test, p=0.02) consistent with differences previously seen in the entire CCCEH cohort. Bivariate correlations between frequencies of CAs and 1OHnaph and 2OHnaph stratified by sex or ethnic group suggested an ethnic disparity in the association between CAs and naphthalenes. Negative binomial models were used to examine whether this association was dependent on ethnicity, controlling for sex. 1 OHnaph increased total stable CAs frequency in chromosomes 1-6 (r=0.24, p= 0.03), though this increase was only in DA (r=0.47, p=0.0006), not AA (r=0.09). Controlling for sex, the ethnic disparity in the association differs significantly (p=0.006). Frequency of translocations (a subgroup of stable CAs) also increased with increasing levels of 1OHNaph (r=0.20;p=0.07), particularly in DA(r=0.36; p=0.01), not in AA (r=0.07; p=0.0.6);controlling for sex, the ethnic disparity in association was significant (p 1 OHnaph and 2OHnaph did not effect CAs in chromosomes 11,12,14,19. Metabolites of naphthalene are associated with stable CAs including translocations in chromosomes 1-6. Sources of naphthalene may vary with cultural practices and off-label uses can contribute to elevated indoor air levels, surpassing those from outdoor pollutants. Our data suggest there are ethnic differences in both exposure to naphthalenes and response to this exposure, and have potential implications for prevention. The cohort is being followed to determine persistence of CAs. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-402.