Prenatal Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Exposures and Neurodevelopment in U.S. Children through 5 Years of Age: The HOME Study

Abstract

Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent chemicals that have been widely used as flame retardants in furniture, carpet padding, car seats, and other consumer products during the past three decades.Objective: We examined whether in utero exposure to PBDEs is associated with child cognitive function and behavior in a U.S. study sample.Methods: In a prospective birth cohort, we measured maternal serum concentrations of BDE-47 and other PBDE congeners in 309 women at 16 weeks of gestation during 2003–2006 and followed their children in Cincinnati, Ohio. We measured cognitive and motor abilities using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II at ages 1, 2, and 3 years; intelligence using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-III at age 5 years; and children’s behaviors using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2 annually at ages 2–5 years. We used linear mixed models or generalized estimating equations with adjustment for potential confounders to estimate associations between these outcomes and log10-transformed PBDE concentrations.Results: The geometric mean of BDE-47 in maternal serum (20.1 ng/g lipid) was comparable with U.S. adult national reference values. Prenatal BDE-47 was not significantly associated with Bayley Mental or Psychomotor Development Indices at 1–3 years, but a 10-fold increase in prenatal BDE-47 was associated with a 4.5-point decrease (95% CI: –8.8, –0.1) in Full-Scale IQ and a 3.3-point increase (95% CI: 0.3, 6.3) in the hyperactivity score at age 5 years.Conclusions: Prenatal exposure to PBDEs was associated with lower IQ and higher hyperactivity scores in children.Citation: Chen A, Yolton K, Rauch SA, Webster GM, Hornung R, Sjödin A, Dietrich KN, Lanphear BP. 2014. Prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether exposures and neurodevelopment in U.S. children through 5 years of age: the HOME study. Environ Health Perspect 122:856–862; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307562

Association between prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers and young children's neurodevelopment in China

“…For example, Herbstman et al (2010) reported that prenatal BDE-47 levels were adversely associated with the 12-month (Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II) Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) (n¼ 118), 24-month Mental Development Index (MDI) (n¼ 117), and 48-month full-scale and verbal IQ (the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Revised Edition) (n¼ 104) in children from New York. In contrast, Chen et al (2014) reported that prenatal BDE-47 levels were not associated with PDI or MDI at ages 1-3 years (n ¼285 at 1 year, 239 at 2 years, 220 at 3 years) but negatively associated with Full-Scale IQ (the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-III) and hyperactivity score (the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2) at age 5 years (n ¼179) in children from Cincinnati. In a study of 62 Dutch children at age 5-6 years, Roze et al (2009) reported that prenatal PBDE (including BDEs 47, 99, 100, 153, and 154) levels were negatively associated with fine motor coordination and sustained attention, although such levels improved coordination and visual perception and led to fewer internalizing and externalizing behaviors.…”

The Impact of Toxins on the Developing Brain

“…Yolton and coworkers found proportionately steeper decrements in reading abilities at the lowest levels of secondhand smoke exposure among US children, but this finding has not been replicated (137). For other established or emerging toxins, such as PCBs, organophosphate pesticides, and PBDEs, the lowest level at which adverse effects occur is less clear, but the linear relationship does not suggest a threshold (12,24,36,52,97,113,114). In contrast, some evidence supports a threshold for some mercury-induced deficits (108).…”

“…For most toxins, there is insufficient evidence to draw any firm conclusions about specific windows of vulnerability. For example, exposure to PBDEs has been studied in five prospective birth cohort studies (24,36,46,52,106), but only two tested whether prenatal or postnatal PBDE exposure was more strongly associated with neurobehavioral end points (36,46). Eskenazi and her colleagues found that certain end points were more strongly associated with prenatal PBDE exposures, whereas other end points were more strongly associated with childhood exposures (36).…”

“…Five prospective birth cohort studies have examined the effects of exposure to PBDEs (24,36,46,52,106). PBDEs were inversely associated with cognition in four of the five studies; the results were statistically significant in three studies (24,36,52).…”

Potential for Reuse of E-Plastics through Processing by Compression Molding

“…Environmental and Health and Safety (EHS) concerns associated with e-waste recycling exist [4,20,21,23,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. However, informational gaps are present.…”