Miscarriages and stillbirths in women with a high intake of fish contaminated with persistent organochlorine compounds

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect, on miscarriages and stillbirths, of persistent organochlorine compounds (POC) through dietary intake of fatty fish from the Baltic Sea. Methods: Information on miscarriages and stillbirths was collected retrospectively by a self-administered questionnaire in a cohort of fishermen's wives from the Swedish east coast (by the Baltic Sea) and in a referent cohort of west coast fishermen's wives. Current fish consumption was used as a proxy for exposure within the east coast cohort. Results: No increase in miscarriages or stillbirths was found in the east coast cohort compared with the west coast group, in fact a decrease in early miscarriages was found (OR 0.48 [95% CI 0.26–0.92]). Moreover, no increase in risk was found for current high consumers of fatty fish within the east coast cohort. Conclusions: The present data provided no evidence that dietary POC exposure increases miscarriage and stillbirth rates. Received: 26 April 1999 / Accepted: 6 November 1999