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Early life phthalate exposure impacts gray matter and white matter volume in infants and young children

Emily J Werder1, Kun Lu2, Chih-Wei Liu2

  • 1Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States.

Environmental Research
|May 12, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Early life exposure to phthalates and plasticizers can alter brain development. Specific chemicals were linked to reduced gray matter and increased white matter volumes in children, with sex-specific effects observed.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Environmental Health
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Prenatal phthalate exposure is linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • Limited data exists on the impacts of early life exposure to phthalates and plasticizers on brain development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between phthalate and plasticizer exposures from early childhood (2 weeks to 7 years) and brain anatomical attributes.
  • To utilize serial structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) to assess these relationships.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal neuroimaging study (UNC Baby Connectome Project) enrolled children post-birth.
  • Urine samples analyzed for 17 phthalate and replacement plasticizer metabolites.
  • Linear mixed models used to assess associations between metabolite concentrations and brain volumes (gray matter, white matter, cortical) in 157 children.

Main Results:

  • Higher average metabolite concentrations were associated with lower gray matter volume (e.g., MCPP) and higher white matter volume (e.g., ∑DEHP).
  • Sex-specific effects were observed: MEP and MiBP linked to lower gray matter in boys; ∑DINCH linked to higher white matter in girls.
  • Significant sex interactions were found for ∑DEHP with gray matter and ∑DINCH with white matter volume.

Conclusions:

  • Early life exposure to phthalates and plasticizers may differentially impact brain region volumes in early childhood.
  • These alterations could have downstream consequences on neurodevelopmental and functional outcomes.
  • Further research is warranted to understand the long-term implications of these exposures.
Abstract

Keywords:
Children's environmental healthEndocrine disrupting chemicalsNeurodevelopmentPhthalates

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