Prenatal exposure to PCB-153, p,p'-DDE and birth outcomes in 9000 mother-child pairs: exposure-response relationship and effect modifiers.

Low-level exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl-153 (PCB-153) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p-p′-DDE) can impair fetal growth; however, the exposure–response relationship and effect modifiers of such association are not well established. This study is an extension of an earlier European meta-analysis. Our aim was to explore exposure–response relationship between PCB-153 and p-p′-DDE and birth outcomes; to evaluate whether any no exposure–effect level and susceptible subgroups exist; and to assess the role of maternal gestational weight gain (GWG). We used a pooled dataset of 9377 mother–child pairs enrolled in 14 study populations from 11 European birth cohorts. General additive mode…