Engel SM, Miodovnik A, Canfield RL, Zhu C, Silva MJ, Calafat AM, et al. 2010. Prenatal Phthalate Exposure is Associated with Childhood Behavior and Executive Functioning.
Environ Health Perspect :-. doi:10.1289/ehp.0901470

Background:
Experimental and observational studies have reported biological consequences of phthalate exposure relevant to neurodevelopment.

Objective:
To examine the association of prenatal phthalate exposure with offspring behavior and executive functioning at ages 4 to 9 years.

Methods:
The Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Study enrolled a multiethnic prenatal population in New York City between 1998 and 2002 (n= 404). Third trimester maternal urines were collected and analyzed for phthalate metabolites. Children (n = 188, n = 365 visits) were assessed for cognitive and behavioral development between the ages of 4 and 9 years.

Results:
In multivariate adjusted models, increased loge concentrations of low molecular weight (LMW) phthalate metabolites were associated with poorer scores on the Aggression (β = 1.24, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.15, 2.34), Conduct Problems (β = 2.40, 95% CI 1.34, 3.46), Attention Problems (β = 1.29, 95% CI 0.16, 2.41), and Depression (β = 1.18, 95% CI 0.11, 2.24) clinical scales; and Externalizing Problems (β = 1.75, 95% CI 0.61, 2.88) and Behavioral Symptom Index (β = 1.55, 95% CI 0.39, 2.71) composite scales. Increased loge concentrations of LMW phthalates were also associated with poorer scores on the Global Executive Composite index (β = 1.23, 95% CI 0.09, 2.36), and the Emotional Control scale (β = 1.33, 95% CI 0.18, 2.49).

Conclusion:
Behavioral domains adversely associated with prenatal exposure to LMW phthalates in our study are commonly found to be affected in children clinically diagnosed with Conduct or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders.

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