Background Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution is a serious problem in Urumqi. Most studies determine environmental PAHs, and there lacks population studies, especially on the exposure of mothers and infants to PAHs.

Objective This study aims to evaluate the PAHs loads of pregnant women and their newborns, and to explore the relationship between them.

Methods From January 1 to December 31, 2019, a total of 200 pregnant women who delivered in a Class-A tertiary general hospital in Urumqi were enrolled in the study. Their peripheral venous blood samples (n=200) and their newborns' cord blood samples (n=200) were collected to detect 16 kinds of PAHs (naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzoapyrene, chrysene, benzog,h, ipyrene, benzoaanthracene, benzobfluoranthene, benzokfluoranthene, indeno1, 2, 3-cdpyrene, and dibenzoa, hanthracene) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation of PAHs exposure levels in pregnant women and their newborns.

Results Among the selected 16 PAHs in maternal peripheral venous blood, acenaphthene and chrysene had the highest positive rates (both 95.5%), followed by benzoapyrene, fluorene, and phenanthrene (all 94.5%), and the lowest was benzoaanthracene (83.0%); acenaphthene had the highest maximum concentration, followed by fluorene, and indeno1, 2, 3-cdpyrene had the lowest (23.39, 13.36, and 0.99 μg·L^-1, respectively); acenaphthene had the highest median concentration (M), followed by fluorene, and pyrene had the lowest (5.48, 3.05, and 0.14 μg·L^-1, respectively). Among the selected 16 PAHs in neonatal umbilical cord blood, naphthalene had the highest positive rate, followed by acenaphthene, and benzobfluoranthene had the lowest (97.5%, 96.0%, and 79.0%, respectively); acenaphthene, fluorene, benzog, h, ipyrene had the highest maximum concentrations (10.11, 9.97, 0.91 μg·L^-1, respectively); acenaphthene, fluorene, and benzoapyrene had the highest median concentrations (M) (4.55, 3.23, 0.08 μg·L^-1, respectively). The minimum concentration of acenaphthylene was lower than 0.01 μg·L^-1. Benzokfluoranthene and fluorene concentrations in the cord blood of newborns were correlated with the concentrations in the peripheral venous blood of pregnant women (r=0.206, r=0.162, P < 0.05).

Conclusion A variety of PAHs are detected in the blood of pregnant women and newborns in Urumqi, and there are weak correlations between pregnant women and their newborns, suggesting that the PAHs exposure of pregnant women may cause PAHs loads in newborns and affect their health.