Journal Article

Relationships Among Polycyclic Aromatic HydrocarbonDNA Adducts, Proximity to the World Trade Center, and Effects on Fetal Growth

Rauh, Virginia, Tu, Yi Hsuan, Perera, Frederica P, Tsai, Wei Yann, Weiss, Lisa, Lester, Kristin, Tang, Deliang

2005

Overview

The September 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City released a complex mixture of toxicants into the environment that included PAHs. To explore the possible contribution to adverse birth outcomes of ambient PAHs after the attack, PAHDNA adducts were examined in maternal and umbilical cord blood samples obtained at delivery from women who were pregnant on the day of the attack and related to proximity to the WTC site. In addition, PAHDNA adducts in cord blood were related to birth outcomes in a prior study conducted in northern Manhattan/south Bronx, alone and in combination with environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Results revealed that pregnant women living within 1 mi of the WTC site had increased levels of PAHDNA adducts in cord blood and maternal blood. In addition, PAHDNA adducts, in conjunction with ETS exposure, were associated significantly with reduced birth weight and head circumference. The observed effects of PAHs and ETS on fetal growth were biologically plausible and consistent with prior research.