Prenatal bisphenol A exposure and early childhood behavior.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective longitudinal birth cohort study
PubMed 20049216 · doi:10.1289/ehp.0900979
What was done
A prospective cohort study of 249 mother-child pairs in Cincinnati, Ohio, evaluated the association between prenatal BPA exposure and child behavior at 2 years of age. Maternal urine was sampled at approximately 16 and 26 weeks of gestation and at birth, with BPA quantified using HPLC-isotope-dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Behavior was assessed using maternal report on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, 2nd edition (BASC-2). Adjusted linear regression models estimated associations between log10-transformed BPA concentrations and BASC-2 scores.
What was found
Median BPA concentrations were 1.8 ng/mL at 16 weeks, 1.7 ng/mL at 26 weeks, and 1.3 ng/mL at birth. Mean (+/- SD) BASC-2 externalizing and internalizing scores were 47.6 +/- 7.8 and 44.8 +/- 7.0. Adjusted log10 mean prenatal BPA concentrations were positively associated with externalizing scores in females (beta = 6.0; 95% CI, 0.1 to 12.0) but not males. Concentrations measured at <=16 weeks showed a stronger association with externalizing scores (beta = 5.1; 95% CI, 1.5 to 8.6) across all children compared to 17-21 weeks (beta = 0.6; 95% CI, -2.9 to 4.1).
Why it matters
This study provides prospective evidence linking gestational BPA exposure—particularly during early fetal development—to altered externalizing behavior in early childhood, showing sex-specific vulnerability.
Limits
The sample size was modest (249 mother-child pairs), which limits power in sex-stratified analyses. Spot urine samples may introduce exposure misclassification due to the short biological half-life of BPA. Behavioral outcomes were based solely on caregiver report at a single early time point (age 2).
Cited by
- contradicts A study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that higher BPA levels in pregnant women were associated with behavioral problems in their children, particularly in boys.