Questionnaire results on exposure characteristics of pregnant women participating in the Japan Environment and Children Study (JECS)

BACKGROUND@#The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) is a nation-wide birth cohort study investigating environmental effects on children's health and development. In this study, the exposure characteristics of the JECS participating mothers were summarized using two questionnaires administered during pregnancy.@*METHODS@#Women were recruited during the early period of their pregnancy. We intended to administer the questionnaire during the first trimester (MT1) and the second/third trimester (MT2). The total number of registered pregnancies was 103,099.@*RESULTS@#The response rates of the MT1 and MT2 questionnaires were 96.8% and 95.1%, respectively. The mean gestational ages (SDs) at the time of the MT1 and MT2 questionnaire responses were 16.4 (8.0) and 27.9 (6.5) weeks, respectively. The frequency of participants who reported "lifting something weighing more than 20 kg" during pregnancy was 5.3% for MT1 and 3.9% for MT2. The Cohen kappa scores ranged from 0.07 to 0.54 (median 0.31) about the occupational chemical use between MT1 and MT2 questionnaires. Most of the participants (80%) lived in either wooden detached houses or steel-frame collective housing. More than half of the questionnaire respondents answered that they had "mold growing somewhere in the house". Insect repellents and insecticides were used widely in households: about 60% used "moth repellent for clothes in the closet," whereas 32% applied "spray insecticide indoors" or "mosquito coil or an electric mosquito repellent mat."@*CONCLUSIONS@#We summarized the exposure characteristics of the JECS participants using two maternal questionnaires during pregnancy.

Learning behavior in rat offspring after in utero and lactational exposure to either TCDD or PCB126

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>We studied and compared the possible effects of in utero and lactational exposure to 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) or 3, 3', 4, 4', 5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) on learning behavior in offspring.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Pregnant Long-Evans Hooded rats were administered either TCDD (50, 200, or 800 ng/kg) or PCB126 (500, 2,000 or 8,000 ng/kg) on gestational day 15. A procedure of schedule-controlled operant behavior was applied to examine learning behavior in the male and female offspring at 11 weeks of age for 30 days. Three indices, namely, response rates in a fixed ratio (FR) and in a differential reinforcement of low rates (DRL), and reward rate in the DRL component in multiple FR 20 DRL 20 s (mult-FR 20 DRL 20-s) test sessions, were used for the evaluation of learning behavior.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Toxic effects on learning behavior in male and female pups following in utero and lactational exposure to TCDD or PCB126 were observed mainly in the FR learning component. However, no linear dose-dependent effects of either of the two compounds were observed for the above three indices. The response rates of animals in the low-dose TCDD and PCB126 groups decreased and those in medium-dose TCDD and PCB126 groups appeared to induce hyperactive behavior. The high dose of PCB126 appeared to have a distinct toxicity from that of TCDD in terms of the acquisition of learning behavior.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Toxicities of PCB126 and TCDD in learning behavior might be similar to each other and the current toxic equivalency factor (TEF) of 0.1 for PCB126 can be considered to be appropriate for this endpoint.</p>

Maternal Exposure to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-\it{p}-Dioxin and the Body Burden in Offspring of Long-Evans Rats

Objectives: In utero and lactational exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) results in a wide variety of developmental effects in pups at doses much lower than those causing overt toxicity in adult animals. We investigated the relationship between tissue concentrations of TCDD in dams and fetuses and developmental effects on pups. Materials and Methods: Pregnant Long-Evans rats were given TCDD at a single oral dose of 12.5, 50, 200, or 800 ng of TCDD or [3H]-TCDD/kg bw on gestation day (GD) 15. Dams were sacrificed on GD16 and GD21, and the tissue concentrations of TCDD were measured in dams and fetuses. Pups were sacrificed on postnatal day (PND) 49 and PND63 for males and PND70 for females, and the reproductive effects and tissue concentrations of TCDD were determined. Results: The sex ratio (male/female) on GD21 was significantly reduced at 50 ng TCDD/kg and at 12.5 and 50 ng TCDD/kg at birth, but not at other doses. Delayed puberty was observed in males at 200 ng TCDD/kg and in males and females at 800 ng TCDD/kg. Anogenital distance, testis weight, epididymal sperm count, sperm motility, and ejaculated sperm count were not affected. Estrous cyclicity was not different from that of the control in any treatment group. A dose-dependent decrease in weight of seminal vesicle and prostate on PND49 was observed. Prostate weight was significantly decreased at 800 ng TCDD/kg. At this dose, maternal body burden and TCDD concentration in fetuses were 290 pg TCDD/g and 52 pg TCDD/g on GD16, respectively. Reduced prostate weight is a sensitive and commonly observed endpoint so that the body burdens of dams and fetuses at the LOAEL of this endpoint could be served as the basis for establishing TDI for dioxins.

Maternal exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and the body burden in offspring of long-evans rats

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>In utero and lactational exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) results in a wide variety of developmental effects in pups at doses much lower than those causing overt toxicity in adult animals. We investigated the relationship between tissue concentrations of TCDD in dams and fetuses and developmental effects on pups.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>Pregnant Long-Evans rats were given TCDD at a single oral dose of 12.5, 50, 200, or 800 ng of TCDD or [(3)H]-TCDD/kg bw on gestation day (GD) 15. Dams were sacrificed on GD16 and GD21, and the tissue concentrations of TCDD were measured in dams and fetuses. Pups were sacrificed on postnatal day (PND) 49 and PND63 for males and PND70 for females, and the reproductive effects and tissue concentrations of TCDD were determined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sex ratio (male/female) on GD21 was significantly reduced at 50 ng TCDD/kg and at 12.5 and 50 ng TCDD/kg at birth, but not at other doses. Delayed puberty was observed in males at 200 ng TCDD/kg and in males and females at 800 ng TCDD/kg. Anogenital distance, testis weight, epididymal sperm count, sperm motility, and ejaculated sperm count were not affected. Estrous cyclicity was not different from that of the control in any treatment group. A dose-dependent decrease in weight of seminal vesicle and prostate on PND49 was observed. Prostate weight was significantly decreased at 800 ng TCDD/kg. At this dose, maternal body burden and TCDD concentration in fetuses were 290 pg TCDD/g and 52 pg TCDD/g on GD16, respectively. Reduced prostate weight is a sensitive and commonly observed endpoint so that the body burdens of dams and fetuses at the LOAEL of this endpoint could be served as the basis for establishing TDI for dioxins.</p>