US EPA

5570998 

Journal Article 

Prenatal exposure to phthalate esters and behavioral syndromes in children at 8 years of age: Taiwan maternal and infant cohort study 

Lien, YJ; Ku, HY; Su, PH; Chen, SJ; Chen, HY; Liao, PC; Chen, WJ; Wang, SL 

2015 

Yes 

Environmental Health Perspectives
ISSN: 0091-6765
EISSN: 1552-9924 

123 

1 

95-100 

English 

25280125 

10.1289/ehp.1307154 

WOS:000347385000019 

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1661373006?accountid=171501
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BACKGROUND: Few studies have shown an association between prenatal phthalate exposure and adverse effects on neurodevelopment and behavior in young children.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the relationship between prenatal exposure to phthalate esters and behavior syndromes in children at 8 years of age.

METHODS: A total of 122 mother-child pairs from the general population in central Taiwan were studied from 2000 to 2009. Mono-methyl phthalate (MMP), mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), and three di- (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolites - mono-2-ethylhexyl, mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl, and mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalates (MEHP, MEHHP and MEOHP) were measured in maternal urine collected during the third trimester of pregnancy using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Behavioral syndromes of children at age 8 were evaluated using Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Associations between log10-transformed creatinine-corrected phthalate concentrations and standardized scores of the CBCL were estimated using linear regression models or multinomial logistic regressions with adjustments for potential confounders.

RESULTS: Externalizing problem scores were significantly higher in association with a 1-unit increase in log10-transformed creatinine-corrected concentrations of maternal MBP (β = 4.29; 95% CI 0.59, 7.99), MEOHP (β =3.74 ; 95% CI 1.33, 6.15), and MEHP (β = 4.28 ; 95% CI 0.03, 8.26) after adjusting for children's gender, intelligence, and family income. Meanwhile, MBP and MEOHP were significantly associated with Delinquent Behavior and Aggressive Behavior scores. Same pattern was found for borderline and/or clinical ranges.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest positive associations between maternal DEHP and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) exposure and externalizing domain behavior problems in eight-year-old children. 

Adult; Checklist; Child Behavior Disorders/chemically induced/epidemiology; Cohort Studies; Linear Models; Logistic Models; Phthalic Acids/toxicity/urine; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, Third/urine; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Taiwan/epidemiology; 6O7F7IX66E