Bisphenol analogs exposure in 4-year-old children and their intelligence quotient at 6 years: A prospective cohort...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Neurodevelopmental Toxicology
• Pediatric Health

Background:

• Prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure is known to affect offspring cognition and behavior.
• The impact of childhood co-exposure to bisphenol analogs (BPs) on children's intelligence remains under-investigated.
• Bisphenol analogs are increasingly used as substitutes for BPA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between childhood exposure to bisphenol analogs (BPs) and intelligence quotient (IQ) in children.
• To examine the effects of specific BPs, including bisphenol F (BPF), on cognitive development.
• To assess potential sex-specific differences in the impact of BPs on IQ.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 465 mother-child pairs in the Shanghai Minhang Birth Cohort Study.
• Measured BP concentrations in urine samples from 4-year-old children.
• Assessed child IQ at 6 years using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and analyzed associations with multiple linear regression and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR).

Main Results:

• In girls, exposure to bisphenol F (BPF) at age 4 was inversely associated with Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) and Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) at age 6.
• BKMR analysis indicated BPF contributed most significantly to the joint effect of BPs in girls, independent of maternal IQ.
• A potential association between tetrachlorobisphenol A exposure and increased FSIQ/PRI was observed in boys, though with a small sample size.

Conclusions:

• Childhood exposure to bisphenol analogs, particularly BPF, at age 4 may be associated with reduced IQ in 6-year-old girls.
• Bisphenol F (BPF) may not be a safe alternative to bisphenol A (BPA).
• Further epidemiological research is warranted to confirm these findings and elucidate the neurodevelopmental impacts of BPs.