Fetal Thyroid Function, Birth Weight, and in Utero Exposure to Fine Particle Air Pollution: A Birth Cohort Study

BACKGROUND Thyroid hormones are critical for fetal development and growth. Whether prenatal exposure to fine particle air pollution (≤ 2.5 μm; PM2.5) affects fetal thyroid function and what the impact is on birth weight in normal healthy pregnancies have not been studied yet. OBJECTIVES We studied the impact of third-trimester PM2.5 exposure on fetal and maternal thyroid hormones and their mediating role on birth weight. METHODS We measured the levels of free thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in cord blood (n = 499) and maternal blood (n = 431) collected after delivery from mother-child pairs enrolled between February 2010 and June 2014 in the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort with catchment area in the province of Limburg, Belgium. RESULTS An interquartile range (IQR) increment (8.2 μg/m3) in third-trimester PM2.5 exposure was inversely associated with cord blood TSH levels (-11.6%; 95% CI: -21.8, -0.1) and the FT4/FT3 ratio (-62.7%; 95% CI: -91.6, -33.8). A 10th-90th percentile decrease in cord blood FT4 levels was associated with a 56 g decrease in mean birth weight (95% CI: -90, -23). Assuming causality, we estimated that cord blood FT4 mediated 21% (-19 g; 95% CI: -37, -1) of the estimated effect of an IQR increment in third-trimester PM2.5 exposure on birth weight. Third-trimester PM2.5 exposure was inversely but not significantly associated with maternal blood FT4 levels collected 1 day after delivery (-4.0%, 95% CI: -8.0, 0.2 for an IQR increment in third-trimester PM2.5). CONCLUSIONS In our study population of normal healthy pregnancies, third-trimester exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was associated with differences in fetal thyroid hormone levels that may contribute to reduced birth weight. Additional research is needed to confirm our findings in other populations and to evaluate potential consequences later in life.