Liam Davenport
Exposure to common household
chemicals such as those found in nonstick cooking pans, upholstery, carpet
pads, and electronics during pregnancy may lead to poorer cognitive and
behavioral development during childhood, new research shows.
In an analysis of more than
250 mother-child pairs, maternal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers
(PBDEs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) was associated with impairments
in executive function in children aged 5 and 8 years.
«These findings suggest that concentrations of maternal serum PBDEs and
PFASs during pregnancy may be associated with poorer executive function in
school-age children,» the investigators, with first
author Ann Vuong, DrPH, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of
Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati, in Ohio, write.
«Given that the persistence of PBDEs and PFASs has resulted in detectable
serum concentrations worldwide, the observed deficits in executive function may
have a large impact at the population level,» they add.
Worse Cognition, Executive Function
For the study, the
investigators examined data from the prospective birth cohort Health Outcomes
and Measures of the Environment Study.
They focused on 256
mother-child pairs, in whom maternal serum PDBE and PFAS levels were measured
at 16±3 weeks of gestation. The parent-rated Behavior Rating Inventory of
Executive Function (BRIEF) was administered to the children at ages 5 and 8
years; higher scores indicated greater impairment.
They found that higher
concentrations of PBDEs were associated with mothers who were nonwhite, less
educated, had lower income, were unmarried or living alone, or who had lower
scores on the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment.
Higher levels of the PFASs
perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were seen in
women who were non-Hispanic white, who had higher income, or who were
minimally/mildly depressed.
Using linear mixed models and
generalized estimations, the team found that 10-fold increases in levels of the
PBDE BDE-153 were associated with having poorer behavior regulation.
Increased BDE-153 levels were
also associated with an increased likelihood of having a behavior regulation or
global executive functioning score of 60 points or higher on the BRIEF
(respective odds ratios, 3.92 and 2.34).
In-unit increases in PFOS
levels were associated with worse behavior regulation, poorer metacognition,
and poorer global executive functioning. No link was found between PFOA levels
and executive function.
Source:
Environ Res, published online
January 28, 2016
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