Abstract
BackgroundEndocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are xenobiotics with the ability to interfere with hormone action, even at low levels. Prior environmental epidemiology studies link numerous suspected EDCs, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, results for some chemicals were inconsistent and most assessed one chemical at a time. ObjectivesTo evaluate the overall impact of prenatal exposure to an EDC mixture on neurodevelopment in school-aged children, and identify chemicals of concern while accounting for co-exposures. MethodsAmong 718 mother-child pairs from the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal, Mother and child, Asthma and allergy study (SELMA) study, we used Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression to assess the association between 26 EDCs measured in 1st trimester urine or blood, with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (IV) Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores at age 7 years. Models were adjusted for child sex, gestational age, mother’s education, mother’s IQ (RAVEN), weight, and smoking status. To evaluate generalizability, we conducted repeated holdout validation, a machine learning technique. ResultsUsing repeated holdout validation, IQ scores were 1.9-points (CI = −3.6, −0.2) lower among boys for an inter-quartile-range (IQR) change in the WQS index. BPF made the largest contribution to the index with a weight of 14%. Other chemicals of concern and their weights included PBA (9%), TCP (9%), MEP (6%), MBzP (4%), PFOA (6%), PFOS (5%), PFHxS (4%), Triclosan (5%), and BPA (4%). While we did observe an inverse association between EDCs and IQ among all children when training and testing the WQS index estimate on the full dataset, these results were not robust to repeated holdout validation. ConclusionAmong boys, early prenatal exposure to EDCs was associated with lower intellectual functioning at age 7. We identified bisphenol F as the primary chemical of concern, suggesting that the BPA replacement compound may not be any safer for children. Future studies are needed to confirm the potential neurotoxicity of replacement analogues.
Highlights
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are xenobiotics with the ability to interfere with hormone action (Zoeller et al, 2012)
We found that training and testing on the full dataset provided strong evidence for an inverse association between the EDC mixture and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) among all children and boys, but that validated Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) index estimates were attenuated, with only confidence intervals among boys excluding zero
Of the 26 EDCs examined, we found that bisphenol F (BPF) had the greatest relative impact on neurodevelopment among boys
Summary
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are xenobiotics with the ability to interfere with hormone action (Zoeller et al, 2012). Environment International 134 (2020) 105185 environment (Annamalai and Namasivayam, 2015; Rudel and Perovich, 2009), diet (Gunderson, 1995; Muncke, 2009), consumer products (Wong and Durrani, 2017), and building materials (Shu et al, 2019), has resulted in ubiquitous exposure to EDCs in general populations globally (Fång et al, 2015; Kannan et al, 2004; Katsikantami et al, 2016) This widespread exposure is troublesome since EDCs may disturb hormone homeostasis even at low doses (Zoeller et al, 2012). Future studies are needed to confirm the potential neurotoxicity of replacement analogues
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
