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Objective. Exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) occurs both in utero and through breastfeeding. Levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) found in the cord serum of newborns from a population located in the vicinity of an electrochemical factory in Spain were among the highest ever reported. We studied the association between exposure to OCs and breastfeeding on neurodevelopment in the 1-year-old infants of this population.

Methods. A birth cohort including 92 mother-infant pairs was recruited between 1997 and 1999 in 5 neighboring villages (84% of possible recruits). The mental and psychomotor development of each infant was assessed at 13 months using the Bayley and the Griffiths Scales of Infant Development. OCs were measured in cord serum.

Results. Dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (p,p′DDE) cord serum levels were negatively associated with both mental and …