Manganese exposure and psychosocial behavior of preschool children

Abstract

OPS 40: Metals: neurological effects, Room 412, Floor 4, August 28, 2019, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Background: The neurotoxic effects of lead and mercury on children have been well established; however, evidence regarding the role of manganese remains inconclusive. The aim of the study is to evaluate the association between manganese exposure and psychosocial behavior of children using a nationwide survey in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 1003 participants were randomly selected from 110 kindergartens of 19 counties throughout Taiwan using a stratified cluster sampling method. Those preschool children aged five to seven years old were enrolled after the informed consent from their parents. Urinary levels of manganese, lead, cadmium, and arsenic, as well as whole blood total mercury, were measured. The psychosocial behavior of the participants was also evaluated using the parental reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). We utilized linear regression models to evaluate the correlation between environmental heavy metals exposure and SDQ total- and sub-scores. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 5.7 (0.7) years old, and 51.3% of them were male. The geometric mean of urinary manganese was 0.181 µg/L. Results of multivariable regression models revealed that urinary manganese levels were positively associated with scores of Peer Problem (adjusted coefficients [95% confidence interval, CI], 0.10 [0.01~0.19], for per log unit increase) and negatively correlated with scores of Prosocial Behavior (-0.13 [-0.25~-0.01], for per log unit increase). Furthermore, the significant associations remained robust after adjusted for the other neurotoxic heavy metals. Conclusions: The study provided evidence regarding the detrimental effects of manganese exposure and psychosocial developmental in preschool children.