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Exposure of French Pregnant Women to Environmental Pollutants: Initial Findings

In early December, Santé publique France published the results of a study describing the exposure of pregnant women in France to certain environmental pollutants. Exposure to pollutants during pregnancy could have repercussions on the health of both the child and the mother. The first volume focuses on organic pollutants. It describes the levels of exposure to bisphenol A, phthalates, and pesticides measured in urine, as well as the factors influencing these exposure levels. It also presents serum concentrations of dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated flame retardants, and perfluorinated compounds. These results are part of the perinatal component of the national biomonitoring program implemented by the agency. This component is based on a subsample of pregnant women included in the biological component of the ELFE cohort (French Longitudinal Study from Childhood). The objective is to estimate the exposure of pregnant women to certain pollutants present in the environment, particularly organic pollutants, and to quantify, if possible, the determinants of these exposure levels. This estimation is based on the measurement of biomarkers in biological samples collected in maternity wards (cord blood, urine, hair, serum) from women who gave birth in mainland France in 2011. Potential temporal and geographic variations in exposure levels to these organic pollutants were examined by comparing the results with those of previous studies conducted in France and abroad.The results show that the measured concentrations are generally slightly lower than those observed in previous French and international studies. Compared to the United States, French pregnant women are more exposed to pyrethroids (pesticides used, for example, in lice and flea treatments and insecticides) and PCBs (insulating substances). These differences were previously observed in the general population in the national nutrition-health study conducted by Santé publique France in 2007 and may be partly explained by differences in behaviors, practices, and regulations between these countries. Comparisons of French results with those of foreign studies must, however, take methodological differences into account: study population (whether or not representative at the national level), method of collecting biological samples (first morning urine versus a single, one-time sample), changes in assay methods, etc.The results on organic pollutants will be supplemented by a second volume on levels of metal exposure and their determinants. An in-depth analysis of the results will be the subject of a third volume, which will provide decision-making support for public health stakeholders, particularly by helping to establish recommendations.