Maternal Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration During Midterm Pregnancy and Children's Blood Pressure at Age 4

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Pediatric Health
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical with suspected adverse health effects.
• BPA exposure during pregnancy may impact fetal development and long-term child health.
• Previous research suggests a link between BPA and high blood pressure (BP).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between prenatal Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and child blood pressure (BP) at age 4.
• To identify a potential threshold level of maternal BPA exposure linked to adverse child BP outcomes.
• To analyze the impact of maternal urinary BPA levels during gestation on children's systolic BP, diastolic BP, and pulse pressure.

Main Methods:

• A prospective birth cohort study followed 645 children from pregnancy to age 4.
• Maternal urinary BPA concentrations were measured around 20 weeks of gestation.
• Piecewise regression models were used to assess the nonlinear association between BPA levels and child BP, determining a threshold.

Main Results:

• Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in children was significantly associated with maternal urinary BPA concentration above a threshold of 4.5 μg/g creatinine.
• A 1 log unit increase in prenatal BPA was linked to a 7.9 mm Hg increase in DBP.
• Pulse pressure decreased by -8.0 mm Hg, while systolic BP showed no significant association with prenatal BPA levels.

Conclusions:

• Prenatal exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) is associated with elevated diastolic blood pressure in children.
• A BPA exposure threshold of 4.5 μg/g creatinine during pregnancy may be critical for adverse cardiovascular effects in offspring.
• These findings highlight the potential risks of BPA exposure during critical developmental windows.