Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Collection of Alfalfa Root Exudates to Study the Impact of Di2-ethylhexyl Phthalate on Metabolite Production
Published on: June 2, 2023
Gestational and childhood exposure to phthalates and child behavior
Nan Li1, George D Papandonatos2, Antonia M Calafat3
1Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
Insights
Early-life exposure to phthalates, chemicals found in plastics, may increase behavioral problems in children. This study linked childhood phthalate mixture exposure to increased internalizing, externalizing, and overall behavioral symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Neurodevelopmental Toxicology
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Early-life exposure to phthalates can disrupt hormone homeostasis and metabolism, potentially impacting neurodevelopment.
- Previous research on phthalate exposure and child behavior has yielded inconclusive results, with limited prospective studies on phthalate mixtures.
- This study addresses the need for more research on both gestational and childhood phthalate exposures and their effects on behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between gestational and childhood phthalate exposures and child behavior.
- To examine the impact of individual phthalate metabolites and phthalate mixtures on behavioral outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 314 mother-child pairs in the HOME Study, a longitudinal cohort.
- Quantified urinary phthalate metabolites during pregnancy and child ages 1-8 years.
- Assessed child behavior at ages 2-8 years using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2 and employed linear mixed models and Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression.
Main Results:
- Gestational exposure to mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP) was linked to increased problem behaviors.
- Childhood exposure to monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monocarboxynonyl phthalate (MCNP), monocarboxyoctyl phthalate (MCOP), MCPP, and monoethyl phthalate (MEP) was associated with higher behavioral symptoms index scores.
- A weighted childhood phthalate index, driven by MBzP, MCNP, and MEP, was associated with increased problem behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Childhood exposure to phthalate mixtures is suggested to be associated with increased problem behaviors in children.
- These findings highlight the potential neurodevelopmental risks of phthalate exposure during critical developmental windows.
Background:
Early-life phthalate exposures may adversely influence neurodevelopment by disrupting thyroid hormone homeostasis, altering brain lipid metabolism, or reducing gonadal hormone concentrations. Previous literature examining gestational phthalate exposure and child behavior were inconclusive and few prospective studies have examined childhood phthalate exposure, particularly phthalate mixtures. We investigated whether gestational and childhood phthalate exposures were associated with child behavior.
Methods:
We used data from 314 mother-child pairs in the HOME Study, a longitudinal pregnancy and birth cohort that enrolled pregnant women from Cincinnati, Ohio. We quantified urinary concentrations of 11 phthalate metabolites in samples collected twice during gestation from women and six times from their children when they were ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 years. We assessed children's behavior at ages 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 years using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2. Using linear mixed models, we estimated covariate-adjusted associations of measurement-error-corrected gestational and childhood phthalate metabolite concentrations (per interquartile range increase) with repeated child behavior assessments. We used Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression to estimate the association of phthalate mixtures with child behavior.
Results:
Gestational mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP) concentrations were associated with more problem behaviors (internalizing: β = 0.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.1, 1.9; externalizing: β = 1.0, 95%CI = -0.1, 2.0; behavioral symptoms index [BSI]: β = 1.1, 95%CI = 0.1, 2.1). Higher childhood monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) (β = 1.4; 95%CI = 0.0, 2.7), monocarboxynonyl phthalate (MCNP) (β = 3.2; 95%CI = 1.6, 4.8), monocarboxyoctyl phthalate (MCOP) (β = 0.9; 95%CI = 0.0, 1.7), MCPP (β = 1.8; 95%CI = 0.2, 3.5), and monoethyl phthalate (MEP) (β = 1.6; 95%CI = 0.1, 3.1) concentrations were associated with higher BSI composite scores. Consistent with this, the weighted childhood phthalate index was associated with more problem behaviors (internalizing: β = 1.5, 95%CI = -0.2, 3.1; externalizing: β = 1.7, 95%CI = 0.1, 3.5; BSI: β = 1.7, 95%CI = 0.2, 3.2); MBzP, MCNP, and MEP largely contributed to these associations.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that childhood exposure to phthalate mixtures may be associated with children's problem behaviors.
More Related Videos
07:08Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
08:28Assessment of the Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds on the Development of Vertebrate Neural Network Function Using Multi-electrode Arrays
Published on: April 26, 2018
Related Concept Videos
01:30Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
01:36Types of Toxins
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
01:07Teratogenicity
01:24Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
01:09Preparedness and Phobias
01:28Conduct Disorder