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Association of current phthalate exposure with neurobehavioral development in a national sample

Eun-Kyung Won1, Yeni Kim1, Mina Ha2

  • 1Department of Child Psychiatry, National Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Seoul National Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
|March 19, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Phthalate exposure is linked to neurobehavioral issues in children, particularly younger ones aged 6-11. This study reveals supralinear associations between phthalate levels and social, thought, and attention problems, emphasizing the need for environmental regulation.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Neurodevelopment
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Phthalate exposure is a growing concern for child development.
  • Previous research on sex- and age-specific effects of phthalates is limited and controversial.
  • Understanding these effects is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sex- and age-specific associations between phthalate exposure and neurobehavioral development in children.
  • To identify specific phthalate metabolites and their impact on behavior and attention.
  • To inform environmental health policies for protecting children.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Korean Environmental Health Survey in Children and Adolescents (KorEHS-C).
  • Assessed neurobehavioral development using the Korean Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ARS).
  • Measured urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations via high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and analyzed associations using survey regression and penalized regression splines.

Main Results:

  • Higher mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) levels correlated with social, thought, and attention problems (CBCL) and hyperactivity (ARS).
  • Among girls, elevated MnBP, MEOHP, and MEHHP were linked to increased thought problems.
  • Younger children (6-11 years) showed significant positive associations between MnBP, MECPP, MEOHP, MEHHP, and social/attention problems, with supralinear relationships observed.

Conclusions:

  • Increased phthalate exposure demonstrates supralinear associations with social, thought, and attention problems in younger children (6-11 years).
  • Children aged 6-11 exhibit greater vulnerability to phthalate exposure.
  • Results underscore the necessity of environmental regulation for phthalate exposure, even at low levels, in young children.
Abstract

Keywords:
AdolescentsBehaviorChildrenDevelopmentEnvironmentPhthalate

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