Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) during fetal development can increase the risk of adverse health effects during childhood. Maternal characteristics and physiological changes during gestation such as gestational weight gain (GWG) may have an influence in the overall burden of POPs in neonates. However, the associations between GWG and POP concentrations are still not well established.

Organohalogen compounds are some of the most notorious persistent pollutants disturbing the Earth biosphere. Although human-made, these chemicals are not completely alien to living systems. A large number of natural organohalogens, part of the secondary metabolism, are involved in chemical trophic interactions. Surprisingly, the relationship between organisms’ trophic position and synthetic organohalogen biotransformation capability has not been investigated.