Prenatal Exposure to Organohalogens, including Brominated Flame Retardants, influences Motor, Cognitive, and Behavioral Performance at School Age
Elise Roze, Lisethe Meijer, Attie Bakker,
Koenraad N. J. A. Van Braeckel, Pieter J. J. Sauer, Arend F. Bos
doi: 10.1289/ehp.0901015 (available at http://dx.doi.org/)
Abstract
Background. Organohalogen compounds (OHCs) are known to have neurotoxic effects on the developing brain. Our objective was to investigate the influence of prenatal exposure to such compounds, including brominated flame retardants, on motor, cognitive, and behavioral outcome in healthy children at school age.
Methods. This study was part of the prospective Groningen-infant-COMPARE study. It included 62 children in whose mothers 4,4′-DDE, PCP, PCB-153, 4OH-CB-107, 4OH-CB-146, 4OH-CB-187, BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-153, BDE-154, and HBCDD had been determined in the 35th week of pregnancy. Thyroid hormones were determined in umbilical cord blood. When the children were five to six years old we assessed their neuropsychological functioning. This included motor performance (coordination, fine motor skills), cognition (intelligence, visual perception, visuomotor integration, inhibitory control, verbal memory, and attention), and behavior.
Results. Brominated flame retardants correlated with worse fine manipulative abilities, worse attention, better coordination, better visual perception, and better behavior. The chlorinated OHCs correlated with less choreiform dyskinesia. The hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls correlated with worse fine manipulative abilities, better attention, and better visual perception. The wood protective agent (PCP) correlated with worse coordination, less sensory integrity, worse attention, and worse visuomotor integration.
Conclusions. Our results demonstrated for the first time that transplacental transfer of polybrominated flame retardants is associated with the development of children at school age. Due to the widespread use of these compounds, especially in the USA where concentrations in the environment are four times higher than in Europe, these results cause serious concern.
