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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Persistent Associations between Maternal Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates on Child IQ at Age 7 Years.

Authors: Factor-Litvak, Pam; Insel, Beverly; Calafat, Antonia M; Liu, Xinhua; Perera, Frederica; Rauh, Virginia A; Whyatt, Robin M

Published In PLoS One, (2014)

Abstract: Prior research reports inverse associations between maternal prenatal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and mental and motor development in preschoolers. No study evaluated whether these associations persist into school age.In a follow up of 328 inner-city mothers and their children, we measured prenatal urinary metabolites of di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP), di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate in late pregnancy. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition was administered at child age 7 years and evaluates four areas of cognitive function associated with overall intelligence quotient (IQ).Child full-scale IQ was inversely associated with prenatal urinary metabolite concentrations of DnBP and DiBP: b = -2.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -4.33, -1.05) and b = -2.69 (95% CI = -4.22, -1.16) per log unit increase. Among children of mothers with the highest versus lowest quartile DnBP and DiBP metabolite concentrations, IQ was 6.7 (95% CI = 1.9, 11.4) and 7.6 (95% CI = 3.2, 12.1) points lower, respectively. Associations were unchanged after control for cognition at age 3 years. Significant inverse associations were also seen between maternal prenatal metabolite concentrations of DnBP and DiBP and child processing speed, perceptual reasoning and working memory; DiBP and child verbal comprehension; and BBzP and child perceptual reasoning.Maternal prenatal urinary metabolite concentrations measured in late pregnancy of DnBP and DiBP are associated with deficits in children's intellectual development at age 7 years. Because phthalate exposures are ubiquitous and concentrations seen here within the range previously observed among general populations, results are of public health significance.

PubMed ID: 25493564 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Intelligence/drug effects*; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Phthalic Acids/toxicity*; Phthalic Acids/urine; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, Third; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*; Young Adult

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