Abstract
A review of the literature reveals a need to clarify the pathologic physiology of congenital polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) poisoning, which is characterized by intrauterine growth retardation, brown staining of the skin and mucous membranes, as in Addison's disease, natal teeth, widely open fontanelles and sagittal suture and apparent overgrowth of the gingiva. The skull abnormalities may represent irregular calcification, with natal teeth appearing because the bone of the mandible is penetrated more easily than usual. Some fetuses were poisoned at the time the mothers ingested the oil; others were affected in the subsequent years from residual contamination in the mothers' bodies. The misadventure in Japan was repeated in Taiwan in 1979. The seven congenital cases in Taiwan reported thus far seem to differ from those in Japan. In Taiwan the noses were somewhat black, two of the infants did not have low birth weight and the osseous abnormalities of the skull and gingival hyperplasia were not observed. Systematic followup studies should be made in Taiwan of the children born within 2 years of maternal poisoning with PCBs. Special attention should be given to age at first dentition and skull X-rays for spotty calcification, among other measures of physical, neurologic and intellectual development.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Chow M. H. Natal and neonatal teeth. J Am Dent Assoc. 1980 Feb;100(2):215–216. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.1980.0061. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hsu S. T., Ma C. I., Hsu S. K., Wu S. S., Hsu N. H., Yeh C. C., Wu S. B. Discovery and epidemiology of PCB poisoning in Taiwan: a four-year followup. Environ Health Perspect. 1985 Feb;59:5–10. doi: 10.1289/ehp.59-1568088. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kolbye A. C. Food exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls. Environ Health Perspect. 1972 Apr;1:85–88. doi: 10.1289/ehp.720185. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mayhall J. T. Natal and neonatal teeth among the Tlinget Indians. J Dent Res. 1967 Jul-Aug;46(4):748–749. doi: 10.1177/00220345670460042101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McNulty W. P. Toxicity and fetotoxicity of TCDD, TCDF and PCB isomers in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Environ Health Perspect. 1985 May;60:77–88. doi: 10.1289/ehp.856077. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wassermann M., Wassermann D., Cucos S., Miller H. J. World PCBs map: storage and effects in man and his biologic environment in the 1970s. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1979 May 31;320:69–124. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1979.tb13137.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]