Evidence map›Paper›PMID 21997443›Full record

SynthesisEnvironmental health perspectives2012

Birth weight and prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE): a meta-analysis within 12 European Birth Cohorts.

Eva Govarts, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Greet Schoeters, Ferran Ballester, Karolien Bloemen, Michiel de Boer, Cécile Chevrier, Merete Eggesbø, Mònica Guxens, Ursula Krämer and 19 more

Open access · diamondAbstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Environmental health perspectives, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 132 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
132citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
18.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

132 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 312 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Neonatal Weight and Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls: A Meta-Analysis.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2019
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72 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

29 authors at 16 institutions in 11 countries.

Eva GovartsEnvironmental Risk and Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium.
Mark Nieuwenhuijsen
Greet Schoeters
Ferran Ballester
Karolien Bloemen
Michiel de Boer
Cécile Chevrier
Merete Eggesbø
Mònica Guxens
Ursula Krämer
Juliette Legler
David Martínez
Lubica Palkovicova
Evridiki Patelarou
Ulrich Ranft
Arja Rautio
Maria Skaalum Petersen
Rémy Slama
Hein Stigum
Gunnar Toft
Tomas Trnovec
Stéphanie Vandentorren
Pál Weihe
Nynke Weisglas Kuperus
Michael Wilhelm
Jürgen Wittsiepe
Jens Peter Bonde
OBELIX
ENRIECO
Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology · ESFlemish Institute for Technological Research · BEInserm · FRLeibniz Institute of Environmental Medicine · DENorwegian Institute of Public Health · NORuhr University Bochum · DESlovak Medical University · SKUniversity of the Faroe Islands · FOAarhus University Hospital · DKBispebjerg Hospital · DKErasmus MC - Sophia Children’s Hospital · NLUniversitat de València · ESUniversity of Antwerp · BEUniversity of Crete · GRUniversity of Oulu · FIVrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesExposure to high concentrations of persistent organochlorines may cause fetal toxicity, but the evidence at low exposure levels is limited. Large studies with substantial exposure contrasts and appropriate exposure assessment are warranted. Within the framework of the EU (European Union) ENRIECO (ENvironmental Health RIsks in European Birth Cohorts) and EU OBELIX (OBesogenic Endocrine disrupting chemicals: LInking prenatal eXposure to the development of obesity later in life) projects, we examined the hypothesis that the combination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) adversely affects birth weight.

methodsWe used maternal and cord blood and breast milk samples of 7,990 women enrolled in 15 study populations from 12 European birth cohorts from 1990 through 2008. Using identical variable definitions, we performed for each cohort linear regression of birth weight on estimates of cord serum concentration of PCB-153 and p,p´-DDE adjusted for gestational age and a priori selected covariates. We obtained summary estimates by meta-analysis and performed analyses of interactions.

resultsThe median concentration of cord serum PCB-153 was 140 ng/L (range of cohort medians 20-484 ng/L) and that of p,p´-DDE was 528 ng/L (range of cohort medians 50-1,208 ng/L). Birth weight decreased with increasing cord serum concentration of PCB-153 after adjustment for potential confounders in 12 of 15 study populations. The meta-analysis including all cohorts indicated a birth weight decline of 150 g [95% confidence interval (CI): -250, -50 g] per 1-µg/L increase in PCB-153, an exposure contrast that is close to the range of exposures across the cohorts. A 1-µg/L increase in p,p´-DDE was associated with a 7-g decrease in birth weight (95% CI: -18, 4 g).

conclusionsThe findings suggest that low-level exposure to PCB (or correlated exposures) impairs fetal growth, but that exposure to p,p´-DDE does not. The study adds to mounting evidence that low-level exposure to PCBs is inversely associated with fetal growth.

Indexed as

AdultBirth WeightCohort StudiesDichlorodiphenyl DichloroethyleneEnvironmental PollutantsEuropeFemaleFetal BloodHumansLinear ModelsMaleMilk, HumanPolychlorinated BiphenylsPregnancySex FactorsSmoking2,4,5,2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenylDichlorodiphenyl DichloroethyleneEnvironmental PollutantsPolychlorinated Biphenyls

Identifiers

PMID21997443
PMCPMC3279442
OpenAlexW2171856214

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.