Table 1.
Summary of the detection frequency, health effects, and maternal/fetal transfer evidence for six chemical classes (phthalates, phenols, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCs)
| Chemical | Detection frequency1 | Potential Health Effects from Early Developmental Exposures | Evidence for Transfer | Accumulate in fetus?2 | Persistent? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal | Fetal/Neonatal | Placental | Breastfeeding | ||||
| Phthalates | 90–100% in urine | 90–100% in urine | Allergic disease; altered cognitive and behavioral development; altered male reproductive tract development; endocrine disruption; preterm delivery | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Phenols | 80–100% in urine | 40–60% in urine | Asthma; altered cognitive and behavioral development; cardiometabolic disorders; endocrine disruption | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| PFCs | 90–100% in serum | 90–100% in cord serum | Endocrine disruption; reduced fetal growth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Flame retardants | 90–100% in serum | 70–100% in cord serum | Altered cognitive and behavioral development; thyroid hormone disruption | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PCBs | 80–100% in serum | 90–100% in cord serum | Altered cognitive and behavioral development; thyroid hormone disruption; reduced fetal growth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OCs | 90–100% in serum | 90–100% in cord serum | Altered cognitive and behavioral development; endocrine disruption; immune suppression | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1
Detection frequency is a general estimate, based on the literature, of the percent of individuals in a North American or European population having detectable levels of at least two congeners from a given class.
2
Class is recorded as accumulating in the fetus if there is at least some evidence that fetal transfer is occurring at a rate greater than maternal exposure, e.g.: (1) fetal levels exceed maternal levels; or (2) maternal levels decrease during pregnancy or breastfeeding.