Prenatal Exposure to DDT and Pyrethroids for Malaria Control and Child Neurodevelopment: The VHEMBE Cohort, South Africa

Eskenazi, Brenda; An, Sookee; Rauch, Stephen; Coker, Eric S.; Maphula, Angelina; Obida, Muvhulawa; Crause, Madelein; Kogut, Katherine; Bornman, Riana; Chevrier, Jonathan

doi:10.1289/ehp2129

Cited by 65 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The latter is in accordance with our own data from Cambodia [ 11 ]. A recent study from South Africa did not detect any association between maternal levels of DDT metabolites and neurodevelopment in their children at the ages of 1 and 2 years [ 24 ]. In Eskenazi’s material, the babies had an average birth weight similar to that in our study population, however, head circumference was not one of the study outcomes [ 24 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serum Concentrations of Selected Organochlorines in Pregnant Women and Associations with Pregnancy Outcomes. A Cross-Sectional Study from Two Rural Settings in Cambodia

Steinholt

Ha³

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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We conducted a cross-sectional study among 194 pregnant women from two low-income settings in Cambodia. The inclusion period lasted from October 2015 through December 2017. Maternal serum samples were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The aim was to study potential effects on birth outcomes. We found low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP), except for heptachlors, β-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor epoxide, and p,p’-DDE. There were few differences between the two study locations. However, the women from the poorest areas had significantly higher concentrations of p,p’-DDE (p < 0.001) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (p = 0.002). The maternal factors associated with exposure were parity, age, residential area, and educational level. Despite low maternal levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, we found significant negative associations between the PCB congeners 99 (95% CI: −2.51 to −0.07), 138 (95% CI: −1.28 to −0.32), and 153 (95% CI: −1.06 to −0.05) and gestational age. Further, there were significant negative associations between gestational age, birth length, and maternal levels of o,p’-DDE. Moreover, o,p’-DDD had positive associations with birth weight, and both p,p’-DDD and o,p’-DDE were positively associated with the baby’s ponderal index. The poorest population had higher exposure and less favorable outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serum Concentrations of Selected Organochlorines in Pregnant Women and Associations with Pregnancy Outcomes. A Cross-Sectional Study from Two Rural Settings in Cambodia

Steinholt

Ha³

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…The infant brain is very responsive to environmental changes. Many factors, such as early-life adverse events, pubertal and maternal stress (52)(53)(54), toxins (55)(56)(57), nutrition (58)(59)(60), geographic environment (61,62), and epigenetic factors (63,64), can have adverse consequences on neurodevelopment. Indeed, there is increasing evidence that most neurological and psychiatric disorders have a developmental origin that is the result of prenatal and early postnatal disturbances in this complex process (65)(66)(67)(68)(69).…”

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confidence: 99%

How early media exposure may affect cognitive function: A review of results from observations in humans and experiments in mice

Christakis

Ramirez

Ferguson

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is now among the most commonly diagnosed chronic psychological dysfunctions of childhood. By varying estimates, it has increased by 30% in the past 20 years. Environmental factors that might explain this increase have been explored. One such factor may be audiovisual media exposure during early childhood. Observational studies in humans have linked exposure to fast-paced television in the first 3 years of life with subsequent attentional deficits in later childhood. Although longitudinal and well controlled, the observational nature of these studies precludes definitive conclusions regarding a causal relationship. As experimental studies in humans are neither ethical nor practical, mouse models of excessive sensory stimulation (ESS) during childhood, akin to the enrichment studies that have previously shown benefits of stimulation in rodents, have been developed. Experimental studies using this model have corroborated that ESS leads to cognitive and behavioral deficits, some of which may be potentially detrimental. Given the ubiquity of media during childhood, these findings in humansand rodents perhaps have important implications for public health.

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“…The Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE) study population is detailed in Eskenazi et al (2018). Briefly, women who presented at Tshilidzini Hospital (Thohoyandou, Limpopo, South Africa) for delivery between August 2012 and December 2013 were eligible if they were ≥18 years old, spoke Tshivenda at home, lived within 20 km of the hospital, planned to remain in the area, had not been diagnosed with malaria during pregnancy, had contractions > 5 min apart, and gave birth to a viable singleton.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early-life exposure to p,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDE in South African children participating in the VHEMBE study: An assessment using repeated serum measurements and pharmacokinetic modeling

Verner

Chevrier

Ngueta

et al. 2018

Environment International

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Background: The World Health Organization recommends indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides (including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [DDT]) to fight malaria vectors in endemic countries. There is limited information on children’s exposure to DDT in sprayed areas, and tools to estimate early-life exposure have not been thoroughly evaluated in this context. Objectives: To document serum p,p′-DDT/E levels in 47 mothers and children participating in the Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE), a study conducted in an area where IRS insecticides are used annually, and to evaluate the precision and accuracy of a published pharmacokinetic model for the estimation of children’s p,p′-DDT/E levels. Methods: p,p′-DDT/E levels were measured in maternal serum at delivery, and in children’s serum at 12 and 24 months of age. A pharmacokinetic model of gestational and lactational exposure was used to estimate children’s p,p′-DDT/E levels during pregnancy and the first two years of life, and estimated levels were compared to measured levels. Results: The geometric means of children’s serum p,p′-DDT/E levels at 12 and 24 months were higher than those of maternal serum levels. Regression models of measured children’s p,p′-DDT/E levels vs. levels estimated with the pharmacokinetic model (which only accounted for children’s exposure through placental transfer and breastfeeding) had coefficients of determination (R2) ranging from 0.75 to 0.82. Estimated p,p′-DDE levels were not significantly different from measured levels, whereas p,p′-DDT levels were overestimated by 36% at 12 months, and 51% at 24 months. Conclusion: Results indicate that children living in a sprayed area have serum p,p′-DDT/E levels exceeding their mothers’ during the first two years of life. The pharmacokinetic model may be useful to estimate children’s levels in the VHEMBE population.

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Prenatal Exposure to DDT and Pyrethroids for Malaria Control and Child Neurodevelopment: The VHEMBE Cohort, South Africa

Cited by 65 publications

References 55 publications

Serum Concentrations of Selected Organochlorines in Pregnant Women and Associations with Pregnancy Outcomes. A Cross-Sectional Study from Two Rural Settings in Cambodia

Serum Concentrations of Selected Organochlorines in Pregnant Women and Associations with Pregnancy Outcomes. A Cross-Sectional Study from Two Rural Settings in Cambodia

How early media exposure may affect cognitive function: A review of results from observations in humans and experiments in mice

Early-life exposure to p,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDE in South African children participating in the VHEMBE study: An assessment using repeated serum measurements and pharmacokinetic modeling

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