Biomonitoring of environmental pollutant exposure among pregnant women in France: results from the perinatal component of the national biomonitoring program conducted within the ELFE cohort

As part of the perinatal component of the National Biomonitoring Program, the exposure of French pregnant women to environmental pollutants was assessed among women who gave birth in mainland France in 2011. This article describes the study design and presents the main descriptive findings regarding the measured exposure levels. Exposure biomarkers were measured in biological samples collected at delivery from pregnant women selected from participants in the biological component of the ELFE cohort (French Longitudinal Study from Early Childhood) (n = 4,145). The weighted distribution (geometric mean and various percentiles) of exposure levels was estimated for each biomarker. The results provide, for the first time, a nationally representative description of exposure levels to certain environmental pollutants among pregnant women who gave birth in France in 2011. Bisphenol A and certain metabolites of phthalates, pesticides (primarily pyrethroids), dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls, brominated flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds, and metals (except uranium) were quantified in nearly 100% of pregnant women. Some compounds showed a downward trend compared to previous studies (lead, mercury), while for other compounds no decrease was observed (such as pyrethroids). However, these observations must take into account methodological differences between the studies, which limit the interpretation of these comparisons. Current results indicate that pregnant women in France are exposed to a wide variety of pollutants, some of which have nevertheless been banned or restricted in France.

Author(s): Dereumeaux Clémentine, Saoudi Abdesattar, Oleko Amivi, Pecheux Marie, Vandentorren Stéphanie, Fillol Clémence, Denys Sébastien

Publishing year: 2017

Pages: 496-516

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