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Associations between prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers and physical growth in a seven year cohort

Yi Hu1, Qi Lu2, Chuican Huang3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center, Haikou, China; Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Chemosphere
|May 26, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is linked to altered child physical growth, with effects varying by sex. This longitudinal study followed 207 mother-child pairs for seven years, revealing sex-specific associations with weight and height.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Developmental Toxicology

Background:

  • Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is a growing concern, with limited understanding of its long-term impact on child physical development.
  • Previous research often assessed physical growth at single timepoints, necessitating longitudinal studies to capture developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the longitudinal associations between prenatal PBDE exposure and child physical growth (weight, height, BMI) up to seven years of age.
  • To determine if sex modifies the relationship between prenatal PBDE exposure and child physical growth.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 207 mother-child pairs from the Laizhou Wan Birth Cohort (LWBC) was followed from pregnancy to age seven.
  • Maternal serum samples were analyzed for eight PBDE congeners to quantify prenatal exposure.
  • Child physical growth parameters were measured at birth, one, two, and seven years.
  • Linear mixed models were employed to analyze longitudinal data and assess sex-specific effects.

Main Results:

  • Prenatal exposure to specific PBDE congeners (BDE-28, BDE-85, BDE-153, BDE-183) and total PBDEs (Σ7PBDEs) showed positive associations with child weight z-scores.
  • Similarly, BDE-28, BDE-47, BDE-85, BDE-99, BDE-153, and Σ7PBDEs were positively associated with child height z-scores.
  • These associations were sex-specific, with stronger positive effects observed in boys and negative effects in girls.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal PBDE exposure is associated with altered child physical growth trajectories during the first seven years of life.
  • The impact of prenatal PBDEs on physical growth is sex-dependent, highlighting differential vulnerability between boys and girls.
  • These findings underscore the importance of considering sex as a critical factor in evaluating the developmental toxicity of environmental contaminants like PBDEs.

Keywords:
ChildrenHeightLinear mixed modelsPhysical growthPolybrominated diphenyl ethersWeight

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