DDE & PCBs in the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP)

Epidemiology Branch

The Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP) was a prospective study of neurologic disorders and other conditions in children. Pregnant women were enrolled in 1959-1965 when they presented for prenatal care at any of 12 university hospital clinics located throughout the United States. The mothers' blood was collected approximately every eight weeks, at delivery, and six weeks postpartum. Sera were stored in glass at -20°C, with no recorded thaws. Approximately 42,000 women were enrolled, with 55,000 children born in the study. The children were systematically assessed for the presence of birth defects and other outcomes through age eight years. Extensive questionnaire data are available from all visits. In addition, at the Philadelphia site, anthropometric and pubertal measures from one to six visits during adolescent years are available for that site's CPP children.

The CPP serum bank is now administered by Mark Klebanoff, M.D., M.P.H., at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Our pilot data showed that the serum DDE levels—the major metabolite of the insecticide DDT—among the CPP mothers were relatively high, making this an especially good population for testing the hypotheses regarding male birth defects and effects on adolescent body mass index (BMI); polychloronated biphenyl (PCB) levels were slightly higher than they are today. The CPP was a comprehensive study of health that was carefully designed and executed. Because biologic specimens exist for a large number of subjects and the outcomes have already occurred, building nested studies onto this cohort has been an efficient method of testing hypotheses regarding health effects of in utero exposure to organochlorines.

Related Studies

The CPP Pathways to Adulthood: A Three-Generation Urban Study, 1960-1994

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