Sex-specific associations of maternal and childhood urinary arsenic levels with emotional problems among 6-year-age children: Evidence from a longitudinal cohort study in China

Abstract

BackgroundArsenic exposure has been linked to neurobehavior development disorders among children in cross-sectional studies, but there is little information on the effects of prenatal and childhood arsenic exposure on childhood behavior problem, especially emotional problems. ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between prenatal and childhood arsenic exposure and behavior problems among six-year-old children. Methods389 mother-child pairs from a longitudinal birth cohort were enrolled in the study. The concentrations of arsenic in maternal and 6-year-old children’s urine were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Neurobehavioral development in 6-year-old children was assessed by Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Generalized linear regression models were used to relate arsenic exposure to the score of different domains in CBCL. ResultsThe median concentrations of maternal and 6-year-old children’s urinary arsenic were 22.22 and 33.86 μg/L, respectively. After adjusting for potential covariates, natural logarithm transformed concurrent urinary arsenic levels were significantly associated with scores of anxious and depressed problems in 6-year-old girls (β = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.12–1.31, p = 0.018). Furthermore, in terms of the trajectory of arsenic exposure, compared with the “consistently low” group, the “low to high” group (β = 2.73, 95% CI: −3.99 to 9.45, p = 0.425) had a greater effect on total score of CBCL than “high to low” group (β = −0.93, 95% CI: −7.22 to 5.36, p = 0.771) in girls, although insignificant. ConclusionsOur results suggested that concurrent arsenic exposure might have an adverse effect of emotional status in girls. Further studies are needed to verify the findings and explore the mechanisms of the sex-specific association.