Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41150553›Full record

ArticleToxics2025

Early Childhood Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting and Neurotoxic Chemicals: Associations with Internalizing and Externalizing Difficulties from Childhood to Adolescence in the Rhea Cohort, Crete, Greece.

Chrysi Mouatsou, Katerina Margetaki, Mariza Kampouri, Marianna Karachaliou, Antonis Myridakis, Danae Costopoulou, Leondios Leondiadis, Euripides G Stephanou, Lida Chatzi, Manolis Kogevinas and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Toxics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Chrysi MouatsouDepartment of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Crete, 741 00 Rethymno, Crete, Greece.
Katerina MargetakiClinic of Social Preventive Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 700 13 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-9955-1985
Mariza KampouriClinic of Social Preventive Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 700 13 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Marianna KarachaliouClinic of Social Preventive Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 700 13 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Antonis MyridakisCentre for Pollution Research & Policy, Environmental Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK.
Danae CostopoulouMass Spectrometry and Dioxin Analysis Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety (INRASTES), National Centre for Scientific Research (NCSR) "Demokritos", 153 10 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0009-0009-8126-3294
Leondios LeondiadisMass Spectrometry and Dioxin Analysis Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety (INRASTES), National Centre for Scientific Research (NCSR) "Demokritos", 153 10 Athens, Greece.
Euripides G StephanouDepartment of Chemistry, University of Crete, 700 13 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Lida ChatziDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
Manolis KogevinasISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Katerina KoutraDepartment of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Crete, 741 00 Rethymno, Crete, Greece.

Funding

Hellenic Goundation for Research and Innovation 4397
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many common chemicals are known or suspected to harm brain development, and children are particularly vulnerable, yet research on their long-term effects on mental health is limited. This study investigated the associations of early childhood exposure to endocrine disrupting and neurotoxic chemicals with the development of internalizing, externalizing, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms from early childhood through adolescence in 387 children from the Rhea cohort in Crete, Greece. At age 4, serum concentrations of 3 organochlorine pesticides and 14 polychlorinated biphenyls, and urinary concentrations of 7 phthalate metabolites and 6 dialkyl phosphate metabolites were measured. Children's symptoms were assessed via maternal reports at ages 4, 6, 11 and 15 years. Using generalized estimating equation models, the study found that early exposure to hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) was associated with increased externalizing symptoms across ages in girls [beta (95% CI): 0.20 (0.04, 0.37) and 0.11 (0.01, 0.21), respectively]. Among girls, low molecular weight (LMW) phthalates were also linked to elevated internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as well as ADHD-related difficulties [beta (95% CI): 0.15 (0.04, 0.26), 0.13 (0.01, 0.25), and 0.13 (0.02, 0.24), respectively]. Additionally, exposure to organophosphate pesticides was associated with increased externalizing and ADHD symptoms [beta (95% CI): 0.13 (0.04, 0.22) and 0.12 (0.04, 0.20), respectively]. The findings suggest that early childhood exposure to environmental chemicals may have long-term effects on emotional and behavioral development, with pronounced effects observed only in girls.

Indexed as

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderexternalizing symptomsinternalizing symptomsorganochlorine pesticidesorganophosphate pesticidesphthalatespolychlorinated biphenyls

Identifiers

PMID41150553
PMCPMC12568248

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.