allergic diseases are on the rise in both prevalence and severity , especially in industrialized countries . 
 the process of allergic sensitization needs an understanding of the role environmental factors play in its development . 
 in addition to traditionally considered air pollutants , various persistent organochlorine pollutants , which accumulate in the human body over a lifetime via food intake , are toxic in humans . 
 placental contamination by chemicals may act as a biologic marker for the exposure of the mother or for the fetus via transplacental transfer . 
 placentas were collected from term deliveries in two slovak regions . 
 the samples were then analyzed for 21 selected organochlorine compounds . 
 specimens of cord blood from 2,050 neonates were gathered for the determination of levels of total immunoglobulin e ( ige ) . 
 the regions were chosen according to their environmental characteristics : a city polluted with organic chemical industry versus a rural region devoid of industrial sources of pollution . 
 in addition , data regarding the incidence rate of atopic eczema cases in the regions were considered . 
 comparisons between regions revealed that both the placental contamination with 16 of 21 organochlorine compounds and the cord serum ige levels were significantly higher in the industrial region . 
 the findings pointed to an association between organochlorine compounds and the higher levels of total ige in newborns , signaling a higher allergic sensitization in the industrial region . 
 this association was supported by the higher incidence rate of atopic eczema cases in the population registered in the industrial region.imagesfigure 1