Ambient black carbon particles reach the fetal side of human placenta

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 3866 - 7
• Main Authors: Bové, Hannelore, Bongaerts, Eva, Slenders, Eli, Bijnens, Esmée M, Saenen, Nelly D, Gyselaers, Wilfried, Van Eyken, Peter, Plusquin, Michelle, Roeffaers, Maarten B J, Ameloot, Marcel, Nawrot, Tim S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 17.09.2019; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - metabolism; Air Pollutants - toxicity; Air pollution; Belgium; Biopsy; Birth; Black carbon; Carbon; Cohort Studies; Ecotoxicology; Exposure; Female; Fetuses; Humans; Maternal Exposure - adverse effects; Maternal-Fetal Exchange; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Particle deposition; Particulate matter; Particulates; Permeability; Placenta; Placenta - metabolism; Placenta - pathology; Placenta - ultrastructure; Pollution effects; Pregnancy; Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data; Soot - analysis; Soot - metabolism; Soot - toxicity; White light; Belgium
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11654-3

Particle transfer across the placenta has been suggested but to date, no direct evidence in real-life, human context exists. Here we report the presence of black carbon (BC) particles as part of combustion-derived particulate matter in human placentae using white-light generation under femtosecond pulsed illumination. BC is identified in all screened placentae, with an average (SD) particle count of 0.95 × 10 (0.66 × 10 ) and 2.09 × 10 (0.9 × 10 ) particles per mm for low and high exposed mothers, respectively. Furthermore, the placental BC load is positively associated with mothers' residential BC exposure during pregnancy (0.63-2.42 µg per m ). Our finding that BC particles accumulate on the fetal side of the placenta suggests that ambient particulates could be transported towards the fetus and represents a potential mechanism explaining the detrimental health effects of pollution from early life onwards.