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Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Prenatal and current phthalate exposure and cognitive development in 7-year-old children from the Odense child cohort
Mikkel Vilmand1, Iben Have Beck1, Niels Bilenberg2
1Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Insights
Prenatal and childhood exposure to phthalates, chemicals found in consumer products, may negatively impact children's IQ. This study found associations between higher phthalate levels and lower cognitive scores at age seven.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Developmental Toxicology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals widely used in consumer products.
- Human studies link phthalate exposure to cognitive development issues.
- Limited data exists on the neurodevelopmental effects of newer phthalate substitutes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between prenatal and concurrent phthalate exposure and IQ in 7-year-old children.
- To investigate the impact of specific phthalate metabolites on child neurodevelopment.
Main Methods:
- Urine samples from pregnant women (3rd trimester) and their children at age 7 were analyzed for phthalate metabolites.
- IQ was assessed at age 7 using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.
- Multiple linear regression analysis was used, adjusting for covariates like sex, maternal education, and BMI.
Main Results:
- Elevated prenatal exposure to mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolites was associated with lower IQ scores.
- Higher concurrent exposure to specific phthalates (MCPP, DnHxP, DiDP, DiNP metabolites) in children also correlated with reduced IQ.
- Observed effects were noted even in a population with generally lower phthalate metabolite concentrations.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal and early childhood phthalate exposure may adversely affect neurodevelopment.
- Findings suggest potential risks associated with phthalate substitutes.
- Further large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm these associations and explore combined chemical effects.
Background:
Phthalates are endocrine disrupters used in a variety of consumer products. Human studies suggest an association between phthalate exposure and cognitive development but adverse effects of the recently introduced phthalate substitutes have only been sparsely studied.
Objectives:
To investigate associations between prenatal and concurrent exposure to phthalates and IQ in 7-year-old children from the Odense Child Cohort.
Methods:
Pregnant women from the Odense Child Cohort had phthalate metabolites measured in urine samples during 3rd trimester in 2010 to 2012. In addition, phthalates were also measured in urine samples from their offspring at age 7 years. IQ was assessed at age 7 years using four subtests from Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. The total study population consisted of 585 mother-child pairs with available prenatal urinary phthalate metabolites concentrations and IQ data at age 7 years. A subset of those (N = 274) had urinary phthalate metabolites measured in child urine at age 7 years. Phthalate concentrations were grouped into tertiles and associations with IQ were investigated using multiple linear regression adjusting for sex, maternal education and maternal/child BMI.
Results:
Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations both in pregnant women and children were generally lower compared to previous cohorts. Children with high prenatal urinary concentrations of MEP and metabolites of DEHP (∑DEHPm)(3rd tertile) had -3.1 (95% CI: -5.5, -0.6) (MEP) and - 3.0 (-5.5, -0.6) (∑DEHPm) IQ points at age 7 years compared to children with low concentrations (1st tertile). High concurrent urinary phthalate concentrations of MCPP, ∑DnHxPm, ∑DiDPm and ∑DiNPm in the 3rd tertile was associated with -3.7 (-7.2, -0.2), -4.4 (-7.9, -0.9), -3.7 (-7.2, -0.2) and - 5.6 (-9.1, -2.2) IQ points, respectively, compared to those with the lowest concentrations (1st tertile).
Conclusion:
We found significant inverse associations between some prenatal and concurrent urinary phthalate concentrations and IQ at age 7 years in this low exposed population. This suggests that exposure to phthalates both prenatally and during early childhood could be hazardous to child neurodevelopment, however, large-scale prospective studies assessing phthalate exposure through multiple urine samples, and possibly investigating cocktail effects of the chemicals as well as long term follow-up are warranted.
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