Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and cognition and motor performance in adolescence

Abstract

Prenatal background exposure to several POPs can influence neuropsychological outcomes in 13- to 15-year-old Dutch adolescents, although exposure to most compounds does not have clinically relevant consequences at adolescence.

Prenatal exposure to PCBs and neurological and sexual/pubertal development from birth to adolescence

“…We therefore decided to invite the children of both birth cohorts to participate in a follow up study at adolescence, the Development at Adolescence and Chemical Exposure study (DACE-study), and assessed the cognitive and motor outcome in 13 to 15-year-old adolescents. 54 Our first and most important finding was that regarding OH-PCBs, higher prenatal exposure to OH-PCB was associated with more optimal sustained attention and more optimal balance, and that higher exposure to 4-OH-PCB-107 was not associated with motor outcome at adolescence. Previously, in our cohort, the latter compound was found to be associated with less optimal motor development and poorer visuomotor function at three months, 68,71 and poorer fine manipulative abilities at the age of 5À6 years.…”

“…Regarding PCB-exposure, our second finding was that only a trend is seen for higher exposure to PCB-183 with lower total intelligence, and that none of the other PCB compounds were associated with borderline/abnormal outcomes on cognitive or motor tasks. 54 Although memory scores were within the range for normal development, higher exposure to PCBs was associated with less optimal verbal memory. This n.a. "…”

“…67 They found that higher maternal serum levels of PCBs, particularly PCBs 138/158 and PCB-153 were found to be associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder, and that higher PCB 138/158 was also found to be associated with an increased risk for intellectual disability. 67 In the latter mentioned US cohort, the median levels of PCB-153 in maternal pregnancy serum (7.7 ng/g lipid weight; 2000À2003) were lower compared with levels measured in the Dutch cohort (76.7 ng/g lipid weight; 1998À2002), 54 and with levels measured in another European cohort (107, 27 and 11 ng/g lipid respectively in Greenland, Ukraine and Poland; 2002-2004) ( Table 1). 60 Comparison of PCBs levels across the different cohorts is difficult because the quantification of exposure levels differs between studies.…”

“…53,64 The motor development of children at school age and adolescence was not found to be negatively associated with prenatal PCB exposure in all three recent published studies investigating motor development. 54,60,66 Regarding behavioral problems at school age, both recent published cohort studies reporting on behavioral problems did not find significant associations with prenatal PCB exposure, 61,62 but a case-control study in the USA found that higher prenatal PCB exposure was associated with an increased risk for autism spectrum disorder. 67 Main findings Dutch cohort-Prenatal exposure to (OH-)PCBs and neurodevelopment…”

“…55 In contrast, more optimal performance on cognitive tasks was found after higher prenatal PCB exposure in 1.5-and 3.5-year-old girls (not in boys) in two studies in a Japanese cohort. 51,52 At school age, higher prenatal PCB exposure has not been linked to less optimal performance on cognitive tasks in all four recent published cohort studies assessing cognitive tasks, 54,62,63,65 but a case-control study in the USA found that higher prenatal exposure to PCB-138/158 was associated with an increased risk for intellectual disability. 67 Regarding the effects of prenatal PCB exposure on attention at school age, both positive and negative associations were found with ADHDrelated behavior.…”