Prenatal phthalate exposure and neurodevelopmental delay in early childhood (1 to 3 years): An Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) study
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 29, 2026
Preclinical Model of Prenatal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Exposure to Assess Its Impact on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
Published on: February 28, 2025
Seonyoung Park1, Kristen McArthur2, Emily Barrett3
1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Insights
Prenatal exposure to phthalates, endocrine disruptors, showed mixed associations with child neurodevelopmental delay (NDD). While some phthalates linked to higher NDD odds, mixture analyses revealed limited overall impact, highlighting the need for further research.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Toxicology
Background:
- Phthalates are common endocrine disruptors found in consumer products.
- Prenatal phthalate exposure is linked to adverse health outcomes, with growing concern for neurodevelopment.
- Previous studies on phthalate exposure and child neurodevelopment have yielded inconsistent results, and mixture data is scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between prenatal phthalate exposure (individual and mixture) and neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) in children aged 1-3 years.
- To utilize data from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort for robust analysis.
- To examine potential sex-specific effects of phthalate exposure on neurodevelopment.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of urinary phthalate biomarkers from 2378 pregnant person-child dyads in the ECHO Cohort.
- Assessment of NDD odds using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3).
- Single-pollutant and mixture analyses to evaluate phthalate exposure impacts.
Main Results:
- Single-pollutant analyses showed mixed findings: some phthalates associated with higher NDD odds (motor, problem-solving), while others linked to lower odds (communication).
- Sex-specific effect modification was observed for certain phthalates.
- Mixture analyses revealed no significant overall association with NDD, except for a negative association in the personal-social domain.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal phthalate exposure presents complex associations with early childhood neurodevelopment, varying by individual phthalate and developmental domain.
- Mixture effects appear less pronounced than individual phthalate impacts, suggesting intricate exposure-response relationships.
- Further research into biological mechanisms and comprehensive mixture evaluations is crucial for understanding phthalate's neurodevelopmental impact.
Abstract:
Phthalates are widely used in consumer products and are recognized as endocrine disruptors. Prenatal exposure to phthalates has been associated with various adverse health outcomes, including preterm birth and impaired fetal growth, and growing attention is being paid to their potential impact on child neurodevelopment. However, previous epidemiological studies examining prenatal phthalate exposure and child neurodevelopment have produced inconsistent or inconclusive findings, and evidence on phthalate mixtures remains limited. In this study, we utilized data from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort to investigate associations between urinary biomarkers of prenatal phthalate exposure, both individually and as a mixture, and likelihood of neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) in offspring at ages 1 to 3 years. This study included 2378 pregnant person-child dyads from 10 ECHO cohorts who had measurements of NDD odds assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3). Our single-pollutant analyses revealed mixed findings. Higher prenatal exposure to certain phthalates was associated with higher odds of NDD across multiple domains, including motor and problem-solving skills, with evidence of effect modification by child sex. Conversely, we observed negative associations between specific prenatal phthalate concentrations and lower odds of NDD, particularly in communication domain. From mixture analyses, however, no significant associations were observed between the overall phthalate mixture and NDD odds in most domains, except for negative association for the personal-social domain. Further investigation into the biological mechanisms underlying these relationships, as well as more detailed evaluations of phthalate mixtures, will help advance our understanding of how prenatal phthalate exposure may influence early childhood neurodevelopment.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
01:06Echo
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case,...
01:28Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences
02:24Predicting Reaction Outcomes
01:13Outcomes of Glycolysis
Cellular respiration can occur aerobically (with oxygen) or anaerobically (without oxygen). In the presence of oxygen, cellular respiration starts with glycolysis and continues with pyruvate...
01:28Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood
The first four of Erikson's eight...