"Pollutants in Boys' Blood Tied to Lower Growth"

"Russian boys exposed to unusually high levels of environmental pollutants are smaller than their peers, a new study reports.

After following nearly 500 boys for three years, an international group of researchers found that those with the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in their blood were nearly three centimeters (more than an inch) shorter than boys from the same region with the lowest amount of PCBs in their bodies.

Boys with the highest exposures also averaged two points lower in body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight relative to height."

Alison McCook reports for Reuters December 30, 2010.