Impact of early-life bisphenol A exposure on behavior and executive function in children.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective longitudinal birth cohort study
PubMed 22025598 · doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1335
What was done
A prospective birth cohort of 244 mother-child pairs in the Cincinnati, Ohio area evaluated the impact of gestational and childhood bisphenol A (BPA) exposures on neurobehavior at age 3. Gestational BPA was quantified as the mean concentration in maternal urine (collected at 16 weeks, 26 weeks, and birth), while childhood exposure was measured in child urine (at 1, 2, and 3 years). At age 3, behavior and executive function were assessed using the Behavior Assessment System for Children 2 (BASC-2) and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool (BRIEF-P), with analyses adjusted for confounders and stratified by child sex.
What was found
BPA was detected in >97% of gestational (median: 2.0 μg/L) and childhood (median: 4.1 μg/L) urine samples. After adjusting for confounders, each 10-fold increase in gestational BPA was associated with increased anxiety and depression scores on the BASC-2 and poorer emotional control and inhibition on the BRIEF-P. Child sex significantly modified this relationship: BASC-2 and BRIEF-P scores worsened by 9 to 12 points per 10-fold increase in gestational BPA among girls, whereas associations in boys were null or negative. Associations between childhood BPA exposure and neurobehavior were largely null in both sexes.
Why it matters
This study suggests that fetal development represents a critical window of vulnerability to BPA, with potential sex-specific adverse effects on emotional regulation and executive functioning in early childhood.
Limits
The study is observational and cannot establish causality. Sample size was relatively small (n = 244). BPA has a short biological half-life, so episodic urine samples may misclassify chronic exposure. Residual confounding from other environmental or socioeconomic factors remains possible.
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.