Organochlorine compounds and concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone in newborns.

AIMS: To assess the association between prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds and thyroid status in newborns from an area with high levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB).

METHODS: A total of 98 mother-infant pairs (83.1% of all children born during the period 1997-99 in a specific area polluted with HCB) were recruited. Levels of organochlorine compounds were measured in 70 cord serum samples. Concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in plasma of all newborns three days after birth.

RESULTS: All newborns had concentrations of TSH within the range of normal reference values (<25 mU/l). Dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (p,p'DDE), beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 138 and 118 were related to higher concentrations of TSH, although only significant for beta-HCH. Levels of HCB were not associated with TSH.

CONCLUSIONS: Although this community is highly exposed to HCB, no association was found between this organochlorine and TSH concentrations at birth.