DECREASED BIRTH-WEIGHT AMONG INFANTS BORN TO WOMEN WITH A HIGH DIETARY-INTAKE OF FISH CONTAMINATED WITH PERSISTENT ORGANOCHLORINE COMPOUNDS

Objectives The purpose of the study was to assess reproductive outcome s, especially birthweight, and the consumption of fatty fish from the Baltic Sea, contaminated with persistent organochlorine compounds, amo ng women from the Swedish east coast. Material and methods Cohorts of fishermen's wives from the Swedish east and west coasts were establish ed and linked to the Swedish Medical Birth Register for 1973-1991; 150 1 children were born in the eastcoast cohort and 3553 in the westcoast cohort, Comparisons were made with regional populations and between t he cohorts. Dietary interviews were made with 69 randomly selected wom en from the cohorts and 69 referents. Results The women interviewed fr om the east- and westcoast cohorts ate locally caught fish more than t wice as often as their referents. Compared with the regional populatio n, the women in the eastcoast cohort gave birth to an increased number of infants with low birthweights (<3000 g), whereas the opposite was seen in the westcoast cohort. Infants in the eastcoast cohort had sign ificantly lower birthweights than infants from the westcoast cohort (m edian 3530 versus 3610 g, P<0.001). Even after adjustment for potentia l confounders, eastcoast affiliation showed an increased risk for low birthweight (odds ratio 1.44, 95% confidence interval 1.18-1.76). The effect was more conspicuous for boys (odds ratio 1.95) and heavy smoke rs (odds ratio 3.00). Conclusions The present data support, but do not prove, an association between a high consumption of contaminated fish from the Baltic Sea and an increased risk for low birthweight.