Early-life exposure to EDCs: role in childhood obesity and neurodevelopment

Abstract

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may increase the risk of childhood diseases by disrupting hormonally mediated processes critical for growth and development during gestation, infancy, or childhood. The fetus, infant, and child may have enhanced sensitivity to environmental stressors like EDCs due to rapid development and greater exposure to some EDCs that results from their developmentally appropriate behavior, anatomy, and physiology. This review summarizes epidemiological studies examining the relations of early-life exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, triclosan, and perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) with childhood neurobehavioral disorders and obesity. The available epidemiological evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to several of these ubiquitous EDCs is associated with adverse neurobehavior (BPA and phthalates) and excess adiposity or increased risk of obesity/overweight (PFAS). Quantifying the effects of EDC mixtures, improving EDC exposure assessment, reducing bias from confounding, identifying periods of heightened vulnerability, and elucidating the presence and nature of sexually dimorphic EDC effects would result in stronger inferences from epidemiological studies. Ultimately, better estimates of the causal effects of EDC exposures on child health could help identify susceptible sub-populations and lead to public health interventions to reduce these exposures.

Paternal and maternal preconception urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and child behavior

“…However, several prospective cohort studies have associated urinary phthalate metabolites measured during pregnancy with neonatal behavior, behavior problems, autistic behaviors, and emotional problems (Yolton et al, 2011; Engel et al, 2009, 2010; Whyatt et al, 2012; Lien et al, 2015). While the overall epidemiological literature to date suggests that prenatal phthalate exposure may be associated with behavioral problems, there are inconsistencies and uncertainties about the specific neurobehavioral domains affected by prenatal exposure, specific metabolites responsible for any potential effects, and presence and direction of sex-specific associations (Braun, 2016). Inconsistencies across studies might be due to differences in study populations and their range of exposure, misclassification of phthalate exposure from studies using a single urine sample for assessment, and variation in the timing of when phthalates were assessed (for example, early versus late gestation) (Braun, 2016; Miodovnik et al, 2014).…”

“…While the overall epidemiological literature to date suggests that prenatal phthalate exposure may be associated with behavioral problems, there are inconsistencies and uncertainties about the specific neurobehavioral domains affected by prenatal exposure, specific metabolites responsible for any potential effects, and presence and direction of sex-specific associations (Braun, 2016). Inconsistencies across studies might be due to differences in study populations and their range of exposure, misclassification of phthalate exposure from studies using a single urine sample for assessment, and variation in the timing of when phthalates were assessed (for example, early versus late gestation) (Braun, 2016; Miodovnik et al, 2014). This latter point is critical for comparisons of this study and prior ones as previous research has estimated prenatal exposure during the second and third trimesters, whereas we were able to estimate exposure in the mother during each trimester of pregnancy, as well as during the preconception period.…”

“…Children with atypical neurodevelopment can experience difficulties in a wide range of areas including speech and language, fine and gross motor functioning, memory, learning, and behavior. Over the past 30 years, there has been a growing body of literature suggesting that environmental chemical exposures, including lead (Lanphear et al, 2005) and organic pollutants (Braun, 2016) during pregnancy, infancy, or childhood may increase the risk of these disorders.…”

Maternal serum PFOA concentration and DNA methylation in cord blood: A pilot study

“…There is concern over the potential adverse health effects of PFAS, including the PFAS perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), due to their widespread use, biological persistence, detection in the blood of pregnant women and neonates, and association with adverse human health outcomes (Anon, 2008; Braun, 2016; Kato et al, 2014). …”

Gestational bisphenol-A exposure lowers the threshold for autoimmunity in a model of multiple sclerosis

“…Early life BPA exposure has been linked to increased risk of being overweight (19). We examined whether mice gestationally exposed to BPA showed significant weight elevations when left undisturbed to adulthood.…”