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Updated: Jun 21, 2025
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Possible associations between prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants and neurodevelopmental outcome in
Elena Berezovsky1, Elkana Kohn2, Malka Britzi3
1Pediatrics Division, Shamir (Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center, Zerifin, affiliated to the Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Insights
Prenatal exposure to phthalates, chemicals found in plastics, may negatively impact young boys' neurological development, affecting cognitive and motor skills. Childhood exposure and PCBs showed no significant developmental associations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Toxicology
Background:
- Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals like phthalates and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is a growing concern.
- Understanding the impact of these exposures on child development is crucial for public health.
- Previous research suggests potential links between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between prenatal and childhood phthalate exposure and prenatal PCB exposure with neurodevelopment in 4-year-old children.
- To assess cognitive, motor, and sensory development in relation to specific chemical exposures.
- To identify potential sex-specific differences in these associations.
Main Methods:
- Measured urinary phthalate metabolites in mothers at delivery and in children at 4 years.
- Measured serum concentrations of PCBs in mothers.
- Assessed child development using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III), Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ), and Short Sensory Profile (SSP).
Main Results:
- Higher maternal urinary phthalate metabolite levels were inversely associated with cognitive scores (WPPSI-III) in boys, but not in girls.
- Specifically, higher monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) levels correlated with lower scores in cognitive, motor, and sensory assessments in boys.
- No significant associations were found between child urinary phthalate metabolites or maternal PCB levels and child developmental outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal exposure to higher levels of certain phthalates, particularly MBzP, may be linked to deficits in the neurological development of young boys.
- These findings highlight the potential vulnerability of male neurodevelopment to specific prenatal chemical exposures.
- Further research is warranted to confirm these associations and explore underlying mechanisms.
Abstract:
This study aimed to evaluate associations between prenatal and childhood exposure to phthalates and prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the development of 4-year-old children. Urinary metabolites of five phthalates were measured in women upon delivery, as well as serum concentrations of four PCB congeners. Postnatal phthalate metabolites were measured from children's urine obtained at the time of developmental assessment. The primary outcome was cognitive function as evaluated by the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III) administered at 4 years. Secondary outcomes were motor function and response to sensory stimuli as evaluated by the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) and Short Sensory Profile (SSP) that the mothers filled out, respectively. The study included 57 mother-child pairs. Higher maternal phthalate metabolite concentrations were inversely associated with WPPSI-III scores among boys and not among girls. After using linear regression models and controlling for confounding variables, we found that higher levels of monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) were the ones associated with lower WPPSI-III scores (p=0.004, 95 %CI [-14.18; -3.16]), lower DCDQ scores (p=0.007, 95 %CI [-6.08; -1.17] and lower SSP scores (p=0.004, 95 %CI [-7.47; -1.79]). No association was found between child urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations or maternal PCB blood concentrations and developmental function. These findings indicate that higher prenatal phthalate metabolite levels may be associated with deficits in neurologic development of young boys.
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