BPA Exposure and Neuro-Behavior at Age 7-9 Years

Abstract

BPA Exposure and Neuro-Behavior at Age 7-9 YearsAbstract Number:1807 Emily Roen, Ya Wang, Antonia Calafat, Amy Margolis, Julie Herbstman, Shuang Wang, Virginia Rauh, and Frederica Perera* Emily Roen Columbia University, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Ya Wang Columbia University, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Antonia Calafat Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Amy Margolis Columbia University, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Julie Herbstman Columbia University, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Shuang Wang Columbia University, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Virginia Rauh Columbia University, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , and Frederica Perera* Columbia University, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author AbstractBackground: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous endocrine disrupting compound. Multiple experimental and epidemiological studies suggest that gestational BPA exposure can lead to neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems in childhood, but results have been inconsistent. We previously reported that prenatal BPA exposure was associated with more behavioral symptoms in boys and fewer in girls at ages 3-5 years.Objectives: We investigated the association of prenatal BPA exposure with behavioral outcomes in 7-9 year old children and hypothesized that we would observe the same sex-specific pattern observed at earlier ages.Methods: African-American and Dominican women enrolled in an inner-city prospective cohort study and their children were followed from mother’s pregnancy through children’s age 7-9. Women during the third trimester of pregnancy and children at ages 3 and 5 years provided one spot urine sample. Subjects were categorized by concentration tertiles. The Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) was administered at ages 7 and 9 years to assess multiple child behavior domains. Associations between behavior and BPA were assessed via Poisson regression accounting for potential confounders including urinary BPA concentrations at 3 or 5 years, child age at CBCL testing, gestational age, maternal intelligence, education and demoralization, quality of child’s home environment, and prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure.Results: Among boys (n=90), high prenatal BPA (upper tertile vs. lower two tertiles) was associated with increased CBCL internalizing (ß=0.41, p<0.0001) and externalizing composite scores (ß=0.41, p<0.0001) and corresponding individual syndrome scales, whereas there was a decrease in internalizing composite score (ß=-0.24, p=0.01) among girls (n=115).Conclusion: These results suggest that prenatal BPA exposure may affect childhood behavioral outcomes in a sex-specific manner in minority inner-city children.