Objective Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent pollutants and have endocrine disruptive and neurotoxic effects. The association between maternal PFAS concentrations and neuropsychological development in children is inconclusive. The present study aimed to examine the effect of maternal PFAS concentrations on neuropsychological development in 4-years-old children. Methods We used data from Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort, which recruited pregnant women at 12–16 gestational weeks. Among 981 women having PFAS measurement, 533 mother-child pairs were included in the study. A total of eight PFASs were measured, including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUdA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), and perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA). When infants turned 4 years old, mothers were asked to complete the Ages and Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ) to assess neuropsychological development of their children. Poisson regression model with robust variance estimates was used to examine the association between maternal PFAS concentrations and each developmental subscale of the ASQ. Results Prenatal plasma concentrations of most PFASs tended to be associated with increased risk of development problem in personal-social skills, including PFHxS, PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, and PDUdA, and the associations for PFNA and PFDA were significant (per natural log unit increase: RR PFNA = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.21, 3.05; RR PFDA = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.17, 2.37). In stratified analyses by child’ sex, the consistent pattern of higher risk of developmental problems in personal-social skills associated with most PFASs was mainly observed among girls (RR PFOS = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.20, 5.45; RR PFOA = 9.00, 95% CI: 3.82, 21.21; RR PFNA = 3.11, 95% CI: 1.36, 7.13; RR PFDA = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.21, 4.00; RR PFUdA = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.14, 5.20; RR PFDoA = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.54). Boys with higher maternal PFOA concentrations had a decreased risk of developmental problems in gross motor skills (RR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.89). Conclusion Prenatal plasma PFAS concentrations were associated with neuropsychological development in girls at 4 years of age, mainly in the subset of personal-social skills. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12940-019-0493-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Background This study aimed to investigate the associations of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with anogenital distance (AGD) among newborns. Methods The study included 556 mother-newborn pairs from the Jiashan birth cohort. AGD was measured as AGDAP (from the center of the anus to the anterior base of the penis, where the penile tissue meets the pubic bone) and AGDAS (from the center of the anus to the posterior base of the scrotum, where the skin changes from rugate to smooth) in males and AGDAC (from the center of the anus to the clitoris) and AGDAF (from the center of the anus to the posterior convergence of the fourchette) in females. Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the associations of pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG, with AGD. Results After adjusting for pre-pregnancy BMI and other potential confounders, male newborns whose mothers had excessive GWG had shorter AGDAP than those whose mothers had normal GWG. Male newborns whose mothers had normal pre-pregnancy BMI and inadequate/excessive GWG had shorter AGDAP than the reference group where mothers had normal pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG in stratified analyses. Conclusion Gestational weight gain during pregnancy was associated with AGD in newborns in this birth cohort.