Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A and autistic- and ADHD-related symptoms in children aged 2 and5 years from the Odense Child Cohort

Abstract

Background Bisphenol A (BPA) is a non-persistent chemical with endocrine disrupting abilities used in a variety of consumer products. Fetal exposure to BPA is of concern due to the elevated sensitivity, which particularly relates to the developing brain. Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between prenatal BPA exposure and neurodevelopment, but the results have been inconclusive. Objective To assess the association between in utero exposure to BPA and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD-) symptoms and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in 2 and 5-year old Danish children. Method In the prospective Odense Child Cohort, BPA was measured in urine samples collected in gestational week 28 and adjusted for osmolality. ADHD and ASD symptoms were assessed with the use of the ADHD scale and ASD scale, respectively, derived from the Child Behaviour Checklist preschool version (CBCL/1½-5) at ages 2 and 5 years. Negative binomial and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between maternal BPA exposure (continuous ln-transformed or divided into tertiles) and the relative differences in ADHD and ASD problem scores and the odds (OR) of an ADHD and autism score above the 75th percentile adjusting for maternal educational level, maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, parity and child age at evaluation in 658 mother-child pairs at 2 years of age for ASD-score, and 427 mother-child pairs at 5 years of age for ADHD and ASD-score. Results BPA was detected in 85.3% of maternal urine samples even though the exposure level was low (median 1.2 ng/mL). No associations between maternal BPA exposure and ASD at age 2 years or ADHD at age 5 years were found. Trends of elevated Odds Ratios (ORs) were seen among 5 year old children within the 3rd tertile of BPA exposure with an ASD-score above the 75th percentile (OR = 1.80, 95% CI 0.97,3.32), being stronger for girls (OR = 3.17, 95% CI 1.85,9.28). A dose-response relationship was observed between BPA exposure and ASD-score at 5 years of age (p-trend 0.06) in both boys and girls, but only significant in girls (p-trend 0.03). Conclusion Our findings suggest that prenatal BPA exposure even in low concentrations may increase the risk of ASD symptoms which may predict later social abilities. It is therefore important to follow-up these children at older ages, measure their own BPA exposure, and determine if the observed associations persist.

The Promise of DNA Methylation in Understanding Multigenerational Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic synthetic compound that exerts weak estrogenic activities and is associated with increased ASD risk ( Stein et al, 2015 ; Hansen et al, 2021 ). ASD is diagnosed in males much more frequently than in females, at about a 4:1 ratio, and it has been posited that BPA exposure could play a role in ASD sex differences ( Thongkorn et al, 2019 ).…”

Polluants in materials of everyday life and neurodevelopment in children

“…Une dizaine d'études de cohortes publiées depuis 2009 dans différents pays (44-56) ont décrit des associations entre une exposition prénatale (et parfois aussi postnatale) et le neurodéveloppement chez l'enfant à différents âges (Tableau 3). Chez l'enfant d'âge préscolaire (44,46,51,53) les effets associés concernent le plus souvent des altérations du comportement externalisé (hyperactivité, agressivité) ou internalisé (anxiété/dépression), également des problèmes de langage ( 54), des altérations de la mémoire de travail et de la capacité de planification (51), des symptômes TSA (55). Chez les enfants d'âge scolaire, les études indiquent principalement des manifestations du comportement internalisé et externalisé (45,(47)(48)(49)(50) et parfois des déficits cognitifs et des fonctions exécutives (45).…”

“…Trois études indiquent cependant des associations avec l'exposition prénatale et postnatale (45,46,49). Des études décrivent des associations significatives avec les effets comportementaux uniquement chez les garçons (48,50,53) ou chez les filles (44,55) ou dans les deux sexes (45,51) mais s'exprimant différemment chez la fille et le garçon et différemment selon le moment d'exposition prénatal ou postnatal (45)(46)(47)49). Dans un échantillon d'enfants âgés de 8 à 15 ans issu de l'enquête Nhanes (2003)(2004), les concentrations les plus élevées de BPA urinaire étaient associées avec le TDAH.…”

Bisphenol A Exposure Induces Sensory Processing Deficits in Larval Zebrafish during Neurodevelopment

“…BPA exposure is associated with human disease and dysfunction, including fertility problems, cancer, obesity, and neurobehavioral abnormalities ( Rochester, 2013 ). In particular, BPA exposure is correlated with the development of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and children diagnosed with ASD have higher BPA metabolites in their urine ( de Cock et al, 2012 ; Stein et al, 2015 ; Yoo et al, 2020 ; Hansen et al, 2021 ). Further, multiple studies have shown that behavioral problems correlate with maternal BPA exposure ( Ejaredar et al, 2017 ).…”