Associations between maternal phthalate exposure and neonatal neurobehaviors: The Taiwan maternal and infant cohort study (TMICS)

Abstract

Previous studies have shown associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and neurobehavioral changes in children. However, few studies have focused on neonatal neurobehavioral development. This study aimed to examine the associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and neonatal neurobehavioral development in the early days of life after birth.This cohort study included 283 mother-infant pairs who participated in the Taiwan Mother Infant Cohort Study during 2012–2015. Each mother was interviewed, and urine samples were collected during the third trimester of pregnancy (weeks 29–40). Eleven common phthalate metabolites in maternal urine were analyzed. The Chinese version of the Neonatal Neurobehavioral Examination was used to evaluate early infant neurobehavioral development within five days of birth. We performed multiple linear regressions to explore the associations between phthalate exposure and neonatal neurobehavioral development. Sex differences in the association between phthalate metabolites and neonatal neurobehaviors were noted. Among girls, tertiles of phthalate metabolite concentrations were associated with worse behavioral responses and tone and motor patterns in the high-molecular-weight phthalate (HMW) and low-molecular-weight phthalate (LMW) groups. Girls in the highest tertile of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP) had a negative association with tone and motor patterns. Girls in the highest tertile of mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) and MiBP showed a negative association with behavioral responses. In contrast, tertiles of phthalate metabolite exposure were associated with improved neurobehaviors in mono-methyl phthalate (MMP) among boys. The highest tertile of MMP was positively associated with behavioral responses, primitive reflexes, and tone and motor patterns. Our findings suggest that maternal phthalate exposure affects neonatal neurobehavioral development in a sex-specific manner. Despite the relatively small sample size, our findings add to the existing research linking maternal phthalate exposure to neonatal neurobehavioral development. Additional research is needed to determine the potential long-term effects of prenatal phthalate exposure on children.