Perinatal exposure to EDCs appears to be associated with the occurrence of ASD as well as ADHD. Disruption of thyroid hormone function and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic mechanisms may offer an explanation for the observed relations; though, conclusive evidence in humans is limited.

This study suggests a beneficial effect of ALLO treatment on free radical formation, CBV, and electrical brain activity, without toxic side effects.

Even under famine conditions, birth size and body proportions vary only with late pregnancy exposure. HC for body size has the added disadvantage that late pregnancy exposure effects vary drastically with choice of measure. We do not recommend the use of birth size or body proportions as a proxy for fetal nutritional status in the study of adult disease.

BackgroundPrenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), may influence offspring weight gain. More prospective epidemiological studies are needed to compliment the growing body of evidence from animal studies.MethodsSerum from 412 pregnant Norwegian and Swedish women participating in a Scandinavian prospective cohort study were collected in 1986–88, and analyses of two perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and five organochlorines (OCs) were conducted. We used linear and logistic regression models with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the associations between maternal serum POP concentrations at 17–20 weeks of gestation and child overweight/obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 85th percentile) at 5-year follow-up. Results were further stratified by country after testing for effect modification. We also assessed potential non-monotonic dose-response (NMDR) relationships.ResultsIn adjusted linear models, we observed increased BMI-for-age-and-sex z-score (β = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.01–0.35), and increased triceps skinfold z-score (β = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.02–0.27) in children at 5-year follow-up per ln-unit increase in maternal serum perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations. We observed increased odds for child overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) for each ln-unit increase in maternal serum PFOS levels (adjusted OR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.11–3.74), with stronger odds among Norwegian children (OR: 2.96, 95% CI: 1.42–6.15). We found similar associations between maternal serum perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) concentrations and child overweight/obesity. We found indications of NMDR relationships between PFOS and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 153 and child overweight/obesity among Swedish children.ConclusionWe found positive associations between maternal serum PFAS concentrations and child overweight/obesity at 5-year follow-up, particularly among Norwegian participants. We observed some evidence for NMDR relationships among Swedish participants.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12940-017-0338-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundEndocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) present in the environment may disrupt thyroid hormones, which in early life are essential for brain development. Observational studies regarding this topic are still limited, however as the presence of chemicals in the environment is ubiquitous, further research is warranted. The objective of the current study was to assess the association between exposure markers of various EDCs and thyroxine (T4) levels in newborns in a mother-child cohort in the Netherlands.MethodsExposure to dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), three di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-153, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was determined in cord plasma or breast milk, and information on T4 levels in heel prick blood spots was obtained through the neonatal screening programme in the Netherlands. Linear regression models were composed to determine associations between each of the compounds and T4, which were stratified for gender and adjusted for a priori defined covariates.ResultsMean T4 level was 86.9 nmol/L (n = 83). Girls in the highest quartile of DDE and PFOA exposure showed an increased T4 level compared to the lowest quartile with both crude and fully adjusted models (DDE > 107.50 ng/L, +24.8 nmol/L, 95% CI 0.79, 48.75; PFOA > 1200 ng/L, +38.6 nmol/L, 95% CI 13.34, 63.83). In boys a lower T4 level was seen in the second quartile of exposure for both PFOS and PFOA, however after fully adjusting the models these associations were attenuated. No effects were observed for the other compounds.ConclusionDDE and perfluorinated alkyl acids may be associated with T4 in a sex-specific manner. These results should however be interpreted with caution, due to the relatively small study population. More research is warranted, as studies on the role of environmental contaminants in this area are still limited.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1476-069X-13-106) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.