Jl. Jacobson et Sw. Jacobson, A 4-YEAR FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF CHILDREN BORN TO CONSUMERS OF LAKE-MICHIGAN FISH, Journal of Great Lakes research, 19(4), 1993, pp. 776-783
Children exposed pre- and postnatally to polychlorinated biphenyls (PC
Bs) and related contaminants due, in part, to their mothers' consumpti
on of Lake Michigan fish were evaluated at age 4 years. Higher umbilic
al cord serum PCB levels were associated with lower weight and poorer
cognitive function in two domains-short-term memory and cognitive proc
essing speed. The memory deficit was observed in tests of auditory ver
bal and quantitative memory and visual pictorial memory; the processin
g speed deficit, in a visual discrimination task. Although much larger
quantities of PCBs were transferred postnatally via breast-feeding th
an across the placenta, postnatal exposure was not related to any phys
ical growth or cognitive deficits. The only outcome associated with po
stnatal exposure was a small reduction in activity level. Although the
magnitude of these associations was modest, even relatively subtle de
ficits in short-term memory and speed of information processing may ha
ve a significant impact on the child's ability to master basic reading
and arithmetic skills in school.