Prenatal and postnatal PCB-153 and p,p′ -DDE exposures and behavior scores at 5–9 years of age among children in Greenland and Ukraine

• Published in: Environmental Health Perspectives
• Main Authors: Rosenquist, Aske Hess, Hoyer, Birgit Bjerre, Júlvez Calvo, Jordi, Sunyer Deu, Jordi, Pedersen, Henning Sloth, Lenters, Virissa, Jönsson, Bo A.G., Bonde, Jens Peter, Toft, Gunnar
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• Subjects: Dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene/blood; Polychlorinated biphenyls/blood; Child development; Child behavior; Environmental exposure; Environmental pollutants/blood; Greenland; inuit
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10230/34030; https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP553

BACKGROUND: Studies have reported some evidence of adverse effects of organochlorine exposures on child development, but the results have been inconsistent, and few studies have evaluated associations with child behavior. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between prenatal and early-life exposures to 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE) and behaviors in children between 5 and 9 y of age. METHODS: In the Biopersistent organochlorines in diet and human fertility: Epidemiologic studies of time to pregnancy and semen quality in Inuit and European populations (INUENDO) cohort, consisting of mother-child pairs from Greenland and Ukraine (n=1,018), maternal serum PCB-153 and p,p'-DDE concentrations were measured during pregnancy, and cumulative postnatal exposures during the first 12 months after delivery were estimated using a pharmacokinetic model. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and children's behaviors were dichotomized as abnormal (high) versus normal/borderline for five SDQ subscales and the total difficulties score. RESULTS: The total difficulties score, an overall measure of abnormal behavior, was not clearly associated with pre- or postnatal exposures to PCB-153 or to p,p'-DDE. However, pooled adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for high conduct problem scores with a doubling of exposure were 1.19 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.42) and 1.16 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.41) for pre- and postnatal PCB-153, respectively, and 1.25 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.51) and 1.24 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.51) for pre- and postnatal p,p'-DDE, respectively. Corresponding ORs for high hyperactivity scores were 1.24 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.62) and 1.08 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.45) for pre- and postnatal PCB-153, respectively, and 1.43 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.92) and 1.27 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.73) for pre- and postnatal p,p'-DDE, respectively. CONCLUSION: Prenatal and early postnatal exposures to p,p'-DDE and PCB-153 were associated with a higher prevalence of abnormal scores for conduct and hyperactivity at 5-9 y of age in our study population. These findings provide further support for the importance of minimizing organochlorine exposures to young children and to women of childbearing age. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP553. The Climate change, environmental contaminants and reproductive health (CLEAR) and Biopersistent organochlorines in diet and human fertility: Epidemiologic studies of time to pregnancy and semen quality in Inuit and European populations (INUENDO) studies were funded by the European Commission's 7th and 5th Framework Programmes, respectively (grant nos. FP7-ENV-2008-1-226217 and QLK4-CT-2001-00202, respectively). A.H.R. received grants from The Danish Council for Independent Research - Medical Sciences (5053-00064A), the A.P. Møller Foundation (15-338), the Oticon Foundation (15-3689), and the Spar Nord Foundation.