Although the entire duration of fetal development is generally considered a highly susceptible period, it is of public health interest to determine a narrower window of heightened vulnerability to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in humans. We posited that exposure to PAHs during the first trimester impairs fetal growth more severely than a similar level of exposure during the subsequent trimesters. In a group of healthy, non-smoking pregnant women with no known risks of adverse birth outcomes, personal exposure to eight airborne PAHs was monitored once during the second trimester for the entire cohort (n = 344), and once each trimester within a subset (n = 77). Both air monitoring and self-reported PAH exposure data were used in order to statistically estimate PAH exposure during the entire gestational period for each individual newborn. One natural-log unit increase in prenatal exposure to the eight summed PAHs during the first trimester was associated with the largest decrement in the Fetal Growth Ratio (FGR) (−3%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI), −5 to −0%), birthweight (−105 g, 95% CI, −188 to −22 g), and birth length (−0.78 cm, 95% CI, −1.30 to −0.26 cm), compared to the unit effects of PAHs during the subsequent trimesters, after accounting for confounders. Furthermore, a unit exposure during the first trimester was associated with the largest elevation in Cephalization Index (head to weight ratio) (3 μm/g, 95% CI, 1 to 5 μm/g). PAH exposure was not associated with evidence of asymmetric growth restriction in this cohort. PAH exposure appears to exert the greatest adverse effect on fetal growth during the first trimester. The present data support the need for the protection of pregnant women and the embryo/fetus, particularly during the earliest stage of pregnancy.

Qualitative reporting of home indoor moisture problems predicts respiratory diseases. However, causal agents underlying such qualitative markers remain unknown. In the homes of 198 multiple allergic case children and 202 controls in Sweden, we cultivated culturable fungi by directly plating dust, and quantified (1‐3, 1‐6)‐β‐d‐glucan and ergosterol in dust samples from the child's bedroom. We examined the relationship between these fungal agents and degree of parent or inspector‐reported home indoor dampness, and microbiological laboratory's mold index. We also compared the concentrations of these agents between multiple allergic cases and healthy controls, as well as IgE‐sensitization among cases. The concentrations of culturable fungal agents were comparable between houses with parent and inspector‐reported mold issues and those without. There were no differences in concentrations of the individual or the total summed culturable fungi, (1‐3, 1‐6)‐β‐d‐glucan, and ergosterol between the controls and the multiple allergic case children, or individual diagnosis of asthma, rhinitis, or eczema. Culturable fungi, (1‐3, 1‐6)‐β‐d‐glucan, and ergosterol in dust were not associated with qualitative markers of indoor dampness or mold or indoor humidity. Furthermore, these agents in dust samples were not associated with any health outcomes in the children.