Prenatal exposure to ultraviolet filters and children's cognitive and neurobehavioral development: A longitudinal...

Organic ultraviolet (UV) filters, chemicals protecting against harmful UV radiation, are extensively incorporated into personal care products and polymers. Evidence regarding the impacts of prenatal UV filter exposure on children's neurodevelopment remains limited. In this study, we included 393 mother-offspring pairs from the Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort Study. Maternal urinary concentrations of UV filters in the third trimester of pregnancy were quantified, and children's cognitive and neurobehavioral development was evaluated by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale and Child Behavior Checklist at six years of age. The effects of individual UV filters were examined using linear regression or negative binomial regression, and their combined effect was examined using Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) and Quantile G-Computation (QG-C) models. Our results showed that Oxybenzone (BP-3) exposure in the third tertile was significantly associated with decreased scores in Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), and Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI). The BKMR model revealed a higher level of the UV filter mixture was inversely associated with FSIQ and PRI. Notably, the adverse effect of UV filters on cognitive development was modified by sex. In males, a higher level of the UV filter mixture was inversely associated with all three cognitive measures of neurodevelopment whereas no significant associations were observed in females. The results were further supported by the QG-C model. In terms of neurobehavior development, Bumetrizole (UV-326) was associated with higher scores on externalizing problems in the total population. However, no association was observed in BKMR or QG-C models. In conclusion, our results suggest that prenatal exposure to UV filters may be associated with impairment of both cognitive and neurobehavioral development at six years old. Further studies are required to confirm these associations and explore the underlying biological mechanisms, especially regarding sex-specific vulnerabilities.