TOXICANTS IN HUMAN PLACENTA AND REPRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES IN UKRAINE

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In the newly independent country of Ukraine, environmental pollution is severe; the contamination is due not only to the Chernobyl accident, but to intensive agricultural practices and outmoded industrial technology. The purpose of this pilot study is to describe the burden of toxicants in placentas and milk of women who deliver infants in such circumstances, and to document their reproductive outcome. To our knowledge, this is the first population-based description of pregnancy outcome in a former Soviet country. To accomplish these aims, we are collaborating with the Ukrainian "ELSPAC" study, one of several European studies initiated by the World Health Organization. We have obtained placenta and milk samples from over 2,000 women who delivered in two study sites and stored them for future analysis. A complete record of the outcome of the pregnancy is being obtained; to date, 1000 records have been abstracted. Gross pathology and morphometrics have been done for all placentas. Bilingual codebooks have been written. We will soon award a contract to complete data gathering and conduct methology checks, and another to begin assays of the biological samples.