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Respiratory and
Environmental Health Research Unit, Institut Municipal
d'Investigació Mèdica, Barcelona, Spain
Correspondence to: Dr Ribas-Fitó, Respiratory and Environmental Health Research Unit, Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, C/Doctor Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain (nribas{at}imim.es)
Accepted for publication 15 February 2001
BACKGROUND
Polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) are complex mixtures of persistent contaminants that
are widespread in the environment. Newborns are exposed across the
placenta and through breast feeding. Experimental animal studies have
indicated that PCBs are neurotoxic. The neurological effects of these
compounds on children are not clear.
MethodsA systematic review of
literature on the relation between neurological development in children
and exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls.
RESULTSSeven follow
up studies evaluated the effect of prenatal exposure to PCBs. Two of
these studies evaluated highly exposed children. In newborns, an
increase of the abnormal reflexes was observed in all four studies
evaluating it. During the first months of life, a decrease in motor
skills was observed in four of the five studies that investigated
psychomotor development; deficits in the acquisition of cognitive
skills were observed only in one study assessing non-highly exposed
populations. At 4 years of age, an effect on the cognitive areas was
observed in four of the five studies that evaluated it. Postnatal
exposure to PCBs through breast feeding was not clearly related to any
effect on neurological development.
CONCLUSIONSThese
studies suggest a subtle adverse effect of prenatal PCBs exposure on
child neurodevelopment. Differences in study design, inconsistency in
some of the results, and the lack of adequate quantitative exposure
data, do not allow the derivation of the degree of risk associated with
neurodevelopmental effects at current levels of exposure.
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