Cord Blood Bisphenol-A Level in Relation to Gestational Age and Neonatal Anthropometric Measurements in A Sample of Egyptian New Borns

Abstract

Background: Wide spread human exposure to bisphenol-A and evidence of developmental toxicity in experimental animals has raised significant public health concerns. Objective: To estimate levels of Bisphenol-A in cord blood samples of Egyptian newborns, correlating these levels with gestational age and neonatal anthropometric measurements. Subjects and methods: Eighty neonates were recruited randomly from public and private Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospitals. Their gestational age ranged from 31 to 39 weeks. Assessment of gestational age was performed in the delivery room. Neonatal anthropometric measurements were carried out within the first 24 hours and cord blood Bisphenol-A level was assayed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Results: BPA was detected in all cord blood samples with levels ranged from 0.87 to 15.11 ng/ml and median level was 5.06 ng/ml. Neonates with BPA level above the median level had lower gestational age, lower birth weight, length and head circumference when compared to neonates with BPA level below the median; the differences were statistically highly significant (p 0.001). BPA level showed highly significant negative correlations with gestational age and anthropometric measures in neonates with BPA level above the median. Conclusion: All neonates in this study were subjected to prenatal BPA exposure with varying grades. Adverse effects of BPA on fetal growth are dose-dependent and to some extent sex-dependent. High cord blood levels of BPA are negatively associated with gestational length and birth size.