Prenatal urinary BPA concentration was associated with some aspects of child behavior in this cohort. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Associations of Prenatal Urinary Bisphenol A Concentrations with Child Behaviors and Cognitive Abilities.
Environ Health Perspect. 2017 Jun 16 ;125(6):067008. Epub 2017 Jun 16. PMID: 28657891
Joseph M Braun
BACKGROUND: Prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure has been associated with adverse neurodevelopment in epidemiological studies. However, prior studies had limited statistical power to examine sex-specific effects, and few examined child cognition.
OBJECTIVES: We estimated the association between prenatal BPA exposure and child neurobehavior at 3 y of age in a prospective cohort of 812 mothers and their children.
METHODS: We measured BPA concentration in urine samples collected at wk gestation among women enrolled in a 10-city Canadian cohort study. At approximately 3 y of age, we assessed children's cognitive abilities with the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scale of (WPPSI-III) and two scales of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool (BRIEF-P). Parents reported children's behavior using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) and the Social Responsiveness Scale™ - 2. (SRS-2). We estimated covariate-adjusted differences in neurobehavioral outcomes with a doubling in BPA concentration and sex-specific associations.
RESULTS: BPA was not associated with WPPSI-III scores; child sex did not modify these associations. The association between BPA and BRIEF-P scores was modified by child sex (). For example, a doubling of BPA concentration was associated with 1-point (95% CI: 0.3, 1.7) poorer working memory in boys and 0.5-point (95% CI: , 0.1) better scores in girls. BPA was not associated with most BASC-2 scales; however, it was associated with more internalizing and somatizing behaviors in boys, but not in girls ( ). A doubling of BPA concentration was associated with poorer SRS-2 scores [ ( 95% CI: 0, 0.7)]; this association was not modified by sex.
CONCLUSION: Prenatal urinary BPA concentration was associated with some aspects of child behavior in this cohort, and some associations were stronger among boys. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP984.