Table 4.
Summary of study characteristics evaluating developmental exposure to PFOA and fetal growth in human observational studies.
| Source | Fetal growth measuresa | Births (n) | Location | Study period | Sample matrix | Measurement timing | Median PFOA (ng/mL) | Reason for omission from meta-analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studies included in meta-analyses | ||||||||
| Apelberg et al. 2007 | BW, L, HC, PI | 293 | Baltimore, MD (USA) | 2004–2005 | Cord serum | Birth | 1.6 | NA |
| Chen et al. 2012 | BW, L, HC, PI | 429 | Taipei, Taiwan | 2004 | Cord serum | Birth | 1.7 | NA |
| Fei et al. 2007b | BW | 1,400 | Denmark | 1996–2003 | Maternal plasma | 1st trimester | 5.2 | NA |
| Fei et al. 2008b | L, HC, PI,c ACd | 1,400 | Denmark | 1996–2003 | Maternal plasma | 1st trimester | 5.2 | NA |
| Fromme et al. 2010 | BW | 33 | Munich, Germany | 2007–2008 | Cord serum | Birth | 1.4 | NA |
| Hamm et al. 2009 | BW, SGAd | 252 | Edmonton, Canada | 2005–2006 | Maternal serum | 15–16 weeks | 1.5 | NA |
| Kim S et al. 2011 | BW | 43 | South Korea | 2008–2009 | Cord serum | Birth | 1.2 | NA |
| Maisonet et al. 2012 | BW, L, PI | 422 | Great Britain | 1991–1992 | Maternal serum | 15 weeks (median) | 3.7 | NA |
| Washino et al. 2009 | BW, L, HC, PI, CCd | 428 | Sapporo, Japan | 2002–2005 | Maternal serum | 23–35 weeks | 1.3 | NA |
| Whitworth et al. 2012 | BW, SGA,d LGAd | 849 | Norway | 2003–2004 | Maternal plasma | 17 weeks to term | 2.2 | NA |
| Studies excluded from meta-analysis | ||||||||
| Arbuckle et al. 2012 | BW | 100 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | 2005–2008 | Cord serum | Birth | 1.6 | BW is not the dependent model variablee |
| Halldorsson et al. 2012 | BW | 665 | Aarhus, Denmark | 1988–1989 | Maternal serum | 30 weeks | 3.7 | Only mean BW per PFOA quartile given |
| Kim SK et al. 2011 | BW | 17 | Seoul, Korea | 2007 | Cord serum | Birth | 1.1 | Only PFOA–BW correlation given |
| Monroy et al. 2008 | BW | 101 | Ontario, Canada | 2004–2005 | Cord serum | Birth | 1.6 | BW is not the dependent model variablee |
| Nolan et al. 2009 | BW | 1,555 | Ohio (USA) | 2002–2005 | Water service area | Preconception or during pregnancy | NA | Categorical ecological exposuref |
| Savitz et al. 2012a | BW | 10,189 | Ohio and West Virginia (USA) | 1990–2006 | Retrospectively modeled maternal serum | During pregnancy | 6–15.9 | High risk of bias for exposure assessment; only dichotomous outcome of low BWf |
| Savitz et al. 2012b (study I) | BW | 8,253 | Ohio and West Virginia (USA) | 1990–2004 | Retrospectively modeled maternal serum | During pregnancy | 7.7 | High risk of bias for exposure assessment; (included estimate from Study II in sensitivity meta-analysis)f |
| Savitz et al. 2012b (study II) | BW | 4,547 | Ohio and West Virginia (USA) | 1990–2004 | Retrospectively modeled maternal serum | During pregnancy | 7.2–18.3 | High risk of bias for exposure assessment; (Included in sensitivity meta-analysis)f |
| Stein et al. 2009 | BW | 1,589 | Ohio and West Virginia (USA) | 2000–2006 | Maternal serum | Up to 5 years postnatal | 21.2 | Only dichotomous outcome of low BWf |
| Abbreviations: AC, abdominal circumference; BW, birth weight; CC, chest circumference; HC, head circumference; L, length; LGA, large for gestational age; NA, not applicable; PI, ponderal index; SGA, small for gestational age. aAll fetal growth measures at birth. bFei et al. (2007) and Fei et al. (2008) are studies of the same population. cBecause the analysis of PI was stratified, it was not combined in the meta-analysis of PI. dOnly two studies measured SGA, and only one study each measured AC, CC or LGA; no meta-analysis was conducted for these measures. eSerum PFOA was the outcome variable estimated in the model. fBecause the studies of Nolan et al. (2009), Savitz et al. (2012a, 2012b), and Stein et al. (2009) were conducted in the same geographical area, participants may overlap; therefore, we did not consider these studies for simultaneous inclusion in meta-analysis. | ||||||||