Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A and its alternatives and child neurodevelopment at 2 years

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Developmental Toxicology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Growing evidence links prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure to adverse child neurodevelopmental outcomes.
• Limited data exists on the neurodevelopmental effects of common BPA alternatives like bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between repeated prenatal exposure to BPA, BPS, and BPF and child neurodevelopmental outcomes.
• To assess neurodevelopmental effects at 2 years of age in relation to maternal urinary bisphenol concentrations across trimesters.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 456 mother-child pairs from 2014-2015.
• Maternal spot urine samples collected in each trimester for BPA, BPS, and BPF analysis.
• Child neurodevelopment assessed at 2 years using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.

Main Results:

• Higher prenatal BPS exposure was associated with decreased psychomotor development index scores (P-trend=0.01).
• Second-trimester BPA exposure was linked to lower mental development index scores (P-trimester-interaction=0.04).
• No significant associations were found between prenatal BPF exposure and child neurodevelopment.

Conclusions:

• Prenatal exposure to BPA and BPS may negatively impact child neurodevelopment.
• BPS and BPA represent potential environmental risks to neurodevelopment, warranting further investigation and public health consideration.