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Prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure and child behavior at age 6-7 years
Frederica P Perera1, Deliang Tang, Shuang Wang
1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA. fpp1@columbia.edu
Insights
Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), common urban air pollutants, is linked to increased behavioral issues in children. This study found associations between PAH exposure and anxious/depressed symptoms and attention problems in children aged 6-7.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Health
- Toxicology
Background:
- Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are prevalent urban pollutants from combustion.
- Previous research linked combustion-related DNA adducts in cord blood to attention problems in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the relationship between behavioral problems and two distinct measures of prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure.
- To assess the impact of prenatal PAH exposure on child behavior in a longitudinal cohort study.
Main Methods:
- Followed children of nonsmoking mothers in New York City from in utero to 6-7 years.
- Estimated prenatal PAH exposure using personal air monitoring and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) DNA adducts in maternal and cord blood.
- Assessed child behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in 253 children.
Main Results:
- High prenatal PAH exposure, measured by air monitoring or DNA adducts, was positively associated with Anxious/Depressed symptoms.
- Increased prenatal PAH exposure also correlated with Attention Problems in children.
- Associations remained significant in multivariate analyses (p ≤ 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Environmental levels of PAH in urban air adversely affect child behavior.
- These findings reinforce the need to reduce PAH exposure to protect child development.
Background:
Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread urban air pollutants from fossil fuel burning and other combustion sources. We previously reported that a broad spectrum of combustion-related DNA adducts in cord blood was associated with attention problems at 6-7 years of age in the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) longitudinal cohort study.
Objectives:
We evaluated the relationship between behavioral problems and two different measures of prenatal exposure--both specific to PAH--in the same cohort.
Methods:
Children of nonsmoking African-American and Dominican women in New York City (NYC) were followed from in utero to 6-7 years. Prenatal PAH exposure was estimated by personal air monitoring of the mothers during pregnancy as well as by the measurement of DNA adducts specific to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a representative PAH, in maternal and cord blood. At 6-7 years of age, child behavior was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (n = 253). Generalized linear models were used to test the association between prenatal PAH exposure and behavioral outcomes.
Results:
In multivariate analyses, high prenatal PAH exposure, whether characterized by personal air monitoring (greater than the median of 2.27 ng/m³) or maternal and cord adducts (detectable or higher), was positively associated with symptoms of Anxious/Depressed and Attention Problems (p ≤ 0.05).
Conclusion:
These results provide additional evidence that environmental levels of PAH encountered in NYC air can adversely affect child behavior.
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