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Prenatal exposure to PBDE, PFAS linked to poorer executive function in children

Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers and perfluoroalkyl substances, both of which are used as flame retardants in various consumer products, may be associated with reduced executive function in school-age children, according to data published in Environmental Research.

“Beginning in the 1970s, [polybrominated diphenyl ethers] were used as synthetic flame retardants in a number of consumer products, including polyurethane foams, electronics and some textiles,” Ann M. Vuong, MPH, DrPH, of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, department of environmental health, in Ohio, and colleagues wrote. “[Perfluoroalkyl substances] are used as surfactants and surface treatments in firefighting foams, personal care products, cleaning products, upholstery and nonstick cookware. … Environmental chemical exposure may disrupt normal neurodevelopment, particularly during brain development, when rapid structural and functional changes occur.”

To analyze the association between prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers [PBDEs] or perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and executive function in children, the researchers examined data from 256 mother-child pairs included in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study, an ongoing prospective birth cohort in the area of Cincinnati, Ohio. They limited their study to mother-child pairs with concentrations of PBDEs or PFAS measured upon enrollment, with a child who had undergone at least one executive function assessment at age 5 or 8 years.

The researchers measured maternal serum PBDEs and PFAS at 16 ± 3 weeks gestation. They assessed executive function through the parent-rated Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) test, which provides measurements in behavioral regulation, metacognition, and global executive functioning. The researchers defined BRIEF scores of 1 SD above the mean, which was 60, as “at risk” of a clinically relevant executive function issue.

The researchers reported a 10-fold increase in BDE-153 was associated with decreased behavior regulation (beta = 3.23; 95% CI, 0.6-5.86). Elevated levels of BDE-153 was associated with higher odds of having a BRIEF score of 60 or more in behavior regulation (OR = 3.92; 95% CI, 1.76-8.73) or global executive functioning (OR = 2.34; 95% CI, 1.05-5.23). In addition, each unit increase in perfluorooctane sulfonate was associated with decreased behavior regulation (beta = 3.14; 95% CI, 0.68-5.61), metacognition (beta = 3.1; 95% CI, 0.62-5.58) and global executive function (beta = 3.38; 95% CI, 0.86-5.9). According to the researchers, “no association was observed between perfluorooctanate and executive function.”

“These findings suggest that concentrations of maternal serum PBDEs and PFAS during pregnancy may be associated with poorer executive function in school-age children,” Vuong and colleagues wrote. “Given that the persistence of PBDEs and PFAS has resulted in detectable serum concentrations worldwide, the observed deficits in executive function may have a large impact at the population level.” – by Jason Laday