Meconium and neurotoxicants: searching for a prenatal exposure timing

Juan Antonio Ortega Garcìa ^1*, Daniel Carrizo Gallardo ², Josep Ferrìs i Tortajada ³, Marìa Magdalena Peinador Garcìa ³ and Joan O Grimalt ²

¹ University Children's Hospital, Spain
² Institute of Chemical and Environmental Research. Barcelona., Spain
³ University Children's Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ortega{at}pehsu.org.

Accepted 10 April 2006

Abstract

Exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) has been the subject of interest in recent years given their potential neurotoxicity. Meconium is easily available and it accumulates neurotoxicants and/or its metabolites from the 12th week of gestation, being fossilized until birth.

Objective: To determine whether neurotoxicants, specifically OCs, could be detected in serially collected meconium, and to compare the results with those obtained in cord blood samples.

Methods:We analyzed a sample of cord blood and 3 serial stool samples in 10 newborns. Analysis of Ocs: pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (p,p'DDT) and its metabolite dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (p,p'DDE), and hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (-, -, - and --HCH) using gas chromatography.

Results: From serial stool collection and analysis in newborns, we observed 1) an increase of the concentrations of HCB (Kendall's w = 0,583, *P<0,04), p,p'DDE (Kendall's w = 0,714, *P<0,03), PCBs (Kendall's w =0,760, *P<0,03) and -HCH (Kendall's w = 0,573 , *P<0,05) between the first stool of the newborn and the last one. The levels of DDT diminished as pregnancy progressed, 2) concentration levels in cord blood (ng/ml) were positively associated with concentrations in meconium (ng/g) for p,p'-DDE (r =0,883, ***P < 0.001, rs =0,952, ***P < 0.001 and Kendall's tau = 0,867, ***P< 0,001), ß-HCH (r =0,858, ***P< 0.001, rs =0,821, **P<0,01 and Kendall's tau = 0,781, **p<0,01).

Conclusions: Meconium can constitute a very useful instrument for the investigation of the fetal exposure to neurotoxicants; serial collection and analysis of meconium shoud estimate the timing and degree of in utero exposure of the fetus to neurotoxicants. Analysis and interpretation of neurotoxicants in meconium results are a complex process. Finally, the measurement in meconium of a wide range of neurotoxic substances shoud facilitate early identification of harmful exposures and, subsequently, implement both rehabilitation and preventive measures.

Keywords: biological markers, environmental pollutants, meconium, neurotoxicity syndromes, prenatal exposure

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