ArticleInternational journal of hygiene and environmental health2024
Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals including phthalates, phenols, and parabens in infancy: Associations with neurodevelopmental outcomes in the MARBLES study.
Article in International journal of hygiene and environmental health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Sex-dependent vulnerability to early-life phthalates exposure and autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review.Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Pollutant Burden in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Mechanistic Convergence, Genetic Susceptibility, and Clinical Translation.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Review
- The Gut-Brain Axis as a Mediator of Environmental Endocrine Disruptors in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Mechanistic Synthesis.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Review
- Exposure to Urinary and Dust Parabens: Compound-Specific Risks for Pediatric Respiratory Allergic Phenotypes.Toxics · 2026Article
- Bibliometric and visual analysis of global research on endocrine-disrupting chemicals and children's health: evidence, emerging concerns, and research gaps.Global health action · 2025Article
- Associations between phenol and paraben exposure and the risk of developing breast cancer in adult women: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEndocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are widely used compounds with the potential to affect child neurodevelopmental outcomes including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We aimed to examine the urinary concentrations of biomarkers of EDCs, including phthalates, phenols, and parabens, and investigate whether exposure during early infancy was associated with increased risk of later ASD or other non-typical development (Non-TD) or adverse cognitive development.
methodsThis analysis included infants from the Markers of Autism Risks in Babies-Learning Early Signs (MARBLES) study, a high-risk ASD cohort (n = 148; corresponding to 188 urine samples). Thirty-two EDC biomarkers were quantified in urine among infants 3 and/or 6 months of age. Trends in EDC biomarker concentrations were calculated using least square geometric means. At 36 months of age, children were clinically classified as having ASD (n = 36), nontypical development (Non-TD; n = 18), or typical development (TD; n = 81) through a clinical evaluation. Trinomial logistic regression analysis was used to test the associations between biomarkers with ASD, or Non-TD, as compared to children with TD. In single analyte analysis, generalized estimating equations were used to investigate the association between each EDC biomarkers and longitudinal changes in cognitive development using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) over the four assessment time points (6, 12, 24, and 36 months of age). Additionally, quantile g-computation was used to test for a mixture effect.
resultsEDC biomarker concentrations generally decreased over the study period, except for mono-2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl terephthalate. Overall, EDC biomarkers at 3 and/or 6 months of age were not associated with an increased risk of ASD or Non-TD, and a few showed significant inverse associations. However, when assessing longitudinal changes in MSEL scores over the four assessment time points, elevated monoethyl phthalate (MEP) was significantly associated with reduced scores in the composite score (β = -0.16, 95% CI: 0.31, -0.02) and subscales of fine motor skills (β = -0.09, 95%CI: 0.17, 0.00), and visual reception (β = -0.11, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.01). Additionally, the sum of metabolites of di (2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (ƩDEHTP) was associated with poorer visual reception (β = -0.09, 95% CI: 0.16, -0.02), and decreased composite scores (β = -0.11, 95% CI: 0.21, -0.01). Mixtures analyses using quantile g-computation analysis did not show a significant association between mixtures of EDC biomarkers and MSEL subscales or composite scores.
conclusionThese findings highlight the potential importance of infant exposures on cognitive development. Future research can help further investigate whether early infant exposures are associated with longer-term deficits and place special attention on EDCs with increasing temporal trends and whether they may adversely affect neurodevelopment.
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