Prenatal exposure to organophosphate ester flame retardants and behavioral outcomes in early childhood in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate ester flame retardants and behavioral outcomes in early childhood in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort

Background: Prenatal exposure to organophosphate esters (OPEs) has been linked to neurotoxic effects in children; however, epidemiological evidence remains inconclusive. We investigated associations of prenatal OPE exposure with child behaviors. Methods: We analyzed data of 2948 mother–child dyads f...

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Main Authors: Jiwon Oh, Lesliam Quirós-Alcalá, Xuan Li, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Wenjie Lyu, Lyndsay A. Avalos, Emily S. Barrett, Theresa M. Bastain, Jessie P. Buckley, Patricia Cintora, Lisa A. Croen, Anne L. Dunlop, Akhgar Ghassabian, Rima Habre, Julie B. Herbstman, Ixel Hernandez-Castro, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Donghai Liang, Cindy T. McEvoy, Thomas G. O’Connor, Sheela Sathyanarayana, Susan L. Schantz, Rebecca J. Schmidt, Julie B. Schweitzer, Anne P. Starling, Heather E. Volk, Megan L. Woodbury, Tracey J. Woodruff, Qi Zhao, Yeyi Zhu, Deborah H. Bennett
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Environment International
Subjects:
Pregnancy
Organophosphate esters
Flame retardants
Plasticizers
Internalizing behavior
Externalizing behavior
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025004003
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Summary:Background: Prenatal exposure to organophosphate esters (OPEs) has been linked to neurotoxic effects in children; however, epidemiological evidence remains inconclusive. We investigated associations of prenatal OPE exposure with child behaviors. Methods: We analyzed data of 2948 mother–child dyads from 12 prospective cohorts of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort. Nine OPE biomarkers quantified in prenatal maternal urine were modeled based on detection frequency. Child behaviors were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½–5. We used linear mixed effects models to examine associations between each OPE biomarker and composite T-scores. We evaluated child sex and social vulnerability as potential effect modifiers. Results: Low bis(butoxyethyl) phosphate exposure, versus non-detect, was associated with higher T-scores for all composite scales (βinternalizing = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14, 1.98; βexternalizing = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.18, 1.95; βtotal = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.28, 2.11). Low and high bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCPP) exposure, versus non-detect, were associated with higher T-scores for externalizing problems (βexternalizing = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.29, 2.07; βexternalizing = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.21, 2.04). Conversely, detectable dipropyl phosphate (25% detection) was associated with lower externalizing T-scores (βexternalizing = −0.89, 95% CI: −1.74, −0.04). Associations between high BCPP exposure and higher externalizing and total problem T-scores were stronger among children from highly vulnerable neighborhoods compared to those from less vulnerable neighborhoods (p-interaction < 0.1). Child sex modified associations for bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate and high BCPP exposure, with males exhibiting greater adverse behaviors for all associations. Discussion: Gestational exposure to several OPEs may be adversely associated with early behavioral development.
ISSN:0160-4120

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