Secondary Analysis from the Seychelles Child Development Study: The Child Behavior Checklist

• Published in: Environmental research 2000-09, Vol.84 (1), p.12-19
• Main Authors: Myers, Gary J., Davidson, Philip W., Palumbo, Donna, Shamlaye, Conrad, Cox, Christopher, Cernichiari, Elsa, Clarkson, Thomas W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Behavior; Child Behavior Checklist; child development; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Diet; dimethylmercury; Double-Blind Method; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Female; fish; Fishes; Food Contamination; General aspects; Hair - chemistry; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Maternal Exposure; Medical sciences; Mercury Poisoning, Nervous System - epidemiology; Mercury Poisoning, Nervous System - etiology; methylmercury; Methylmercury Compounds - adverse effects; Methylmercury Compounds - chemistry; neuro-development; Pregnancy; prenatal exposure; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Prospective Studies; Regression Analysis; Seychelles; Seychelles - epidemiology; Statistics as Topic; Surveys and Questionnaires; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1006/enrs.2000.4085

Human exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), a known neurotoxin, is primarily from fish consumption. As part of a large study examining the association between MeHg exposure and child development in a population with high fish consumption we examined school-age behavior using the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The CBCL Total T score was a primary endpoint and was reported earlier to show no adverse association with prenatal or postnatal MeHg exposure. In this study we analyzed the T scores of the CBCL subscales to determine if more discrete aspects of measured behavior were associated with exposure. The Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS) is a prospective, double blind, longitudinal evaluation of over 700 children. The index of prenatal exposure was maternal hair total mercury (T-Hg) in a segment growing during gestation. Postnatal exposure was T-Hg in the child's hair taken at 66 months of age. The child's primary caregiver completed the CBCL during the 66-month evaluation. No association between prenatal or postnatal MeHg exposure and the CBCL subscales was found. In Seychellois children exposed to MeHg from consumption of ocean fish we found no association between either prenatal or postnatal MeHg exposure and behavior as measured by the CBCL subscales.