Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are persistent organic pollutants found in the environment. They exhibit endocrine disrupting properties and in-utero exposure to these chemicals can cause adverse maternal and infant health outcomes.

Objective: The objective is to examine the level of exposure to PBDE during pregnancy and determine its impact on maternal and infant health outcomes. The alterations in the expression of biomarkers from exposure to PBDE are evaluated as indicators of adverse health effects.

Methods: A literature review was conducted using: PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science.The search strategy included search terms (polybrominated diphenyl ether*), (gestational* OR pregnan* OR maternal* ), AND (infant* OR newborn* OR neonate*) published between January 2005 and February 2021. Inclusion criteria were English articles, pregnant women between the ages 15 and 49, singleton births criteria, no previous medical history that may affect endocrine action.

Results: The search produced a total of 1395 articles. A total of 49 articles (44 human observational and 5 review) were selected for further scrutiny. The studies focused on PBDE exposure in relation to thyroid and sex hormone disruption, maternal adverse effects included gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes (GDM) and pre-eclampsia and infant health impacts included low birth weight, head circumference, apgar score, fetal growth restriction (FGR) and more. The alterations in biomarkers were noted for its effect on maternal and infant health.

Conclusion: Three articles reported on GDM and three on FGR. FGR studies showed consistent results in increased odds of FGR with increased concentration of PBDE exposure. GDM studies showed increased odds of GDM with increased PBDE exposure except BDE-47, which found an inverse association with GDM. There is inconclusive evidence of adverse maternal and infant health but there is an indication that PBDE could have negative effects on maternal and infant health. The findings also indicated alterations in the biomarker profile. This study warrants further research on the impact of PBDE on maternal and infant health.

Key words: polybrominated diphenyl ether, maternal outcome, birth outcome