Prenatal Exposure to Organohalogens, Including Brominated Flame Retardants, Influences Motor, Cognitive, and Behavioral Performance at School Age

Abstract

BackgroundOrganohalogen compounds (OHCs) are known to have neurotoxic effects on the developing brain.ObjectiveWe investigated the influence of prenatal exposure to OHCs, including brominated flame retardants, on motor, cognitive, and behavioral outcome in healthy children of school age.MethodsThis study was part of the prospective Groningen infant COMPARE (Comparison of Exposure-Effect Pathways to Improve the Assessment of Human Health Risks of Complex Environmental Mixtures of Organohalogens) study. It included 62 children in whose mothers the following compounds had been determined in the 35th week of pregnancy: 2,2′-bis-(4 chlorophenyl)-1,1′-dichloroethene, pentachlorophenol (PCP), polychlorinated biphenyl congener 153 (PCB-153), 4-hydroxy-2,3,3′,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (4OH-CB-107), 4OH-CB-146, 4OH-CB-187, 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-153, BDE-154, and hexabromocyclododecane. Thyroid hormones were determined in umbilical cord blood. When the children were 5–6 years of age, we assessed their neuropsychological functioning: motor performance (coordination, fine motor skills), cognition (intelligence, visual perception, visuomotor integration, inhibitory control, verbal memory, and attention), and behavior.ResultsBrominated flame retardants correlated with worse fine manipulative abilities, worse attention, better coordination, better visual perception, and better behavior. Chlorinated OHCs correlated with less choreiform dyskinesia. Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls correlated with worse fine manipulative abilities, better attention, and better visual perception. The wood protective agent (PCP) correlated with worse coordination, less sensory integrity, worse attention, and worse visuomotor integration.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate for the first time that transplacental transfer of polybrominated flame retardants is associated with the development of children at school age. Because of the widespread use of these compounds, especially in the United States, where concentrations in the environment are four times higher than in Europe, these results cause serious concern.

Assessment of Selected Food Products for Pesticide Residue in Major Markets of Oyo State, Nigeria

“…Cowpea and fish samples have the highest number of alkane in all the market sampled, although studies have investigated alkane in the environment [18;19], dust [20], human serum [21], human milk [22], and animal tissues [23,24], few have examined alkane contamination of food. Toxicity studies suggest that the alkane is an endocrine disruptor and developmental neurotoxicant; specifically, some alkane compound have been associated with changes in rat thyroid systems [25,26], altered function of human natural killer cells [27;28], and neurotoxic effects such as decreased fine manipulative abilities and lower attention in children [29].…”

Prenatal Transfer of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) Results in Developmental Neurotoxicity in Zebrafish Larvae

“…Then 5 ng of each internal standard ( 13 C 12 -labeled BDE28, BDE47, BDE99, BDE153, BDE154, and BDE183) was added to the samples. 13 C 12 -labeled BDE139 was added as the recovery spike. The quantification of PBDEs was performed using a GC (Agilent 7890A) equipped with a mass-selective detector (Agilent 5975C) using the electron impact (EI) mode.…”

Dual body burdens of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers among local residents in an e-waste recycling region in Southeast China

“…Recently, there is increasing evidence that PBDEs have corresponding adverse effects on human health. For example, based a study combined children's development with pollutant burdens in their mothers, Roze et al (2009) concluded that transplacental transfer of PBDEs were associated with the neurodevelopment of children at school age. Turyk et al (2008) found that increased thyroglobulin antibodies and increased T4 in adult males were associated with PBDE exposure.…”