Prenatal Organophosphate Metabolite and Organochlorine Levels and Performance on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale in a Multiethnic Pregnancy Cohort

• Published in: American journal of epidemiology 2007-06, Vol.165 (12), p.1397-1404
• Main Authors: Engel, Stephanie M., Berkowitz, Gertrud S., Barr, Dana B., Teitelbaum, Susan L., Siskind, Jodi, Meisel, Stefanie J., Wetmur, James G., Wolff, Mary S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: abnormal; Adult; Analysis. Health state; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Biomarkers - urine; Biostatistics; Cohort Studies; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene - blood; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene - toxicity; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene - urine; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Epidemiology; Ethnic Groups; Female; General aspects; Health risk assessment; Human exposure; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Inner city; Logistic Models; Maternal Exposure; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Neonatal Screening; PCB; Pesticides; Pesticides - blood; Pesticides - toxicity; Pesticides - urine; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - blood; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - toxicity; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - urine; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Prenatal development; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; reflex; Reflex, Abnormal - drug effects
• ISSN: 0002-9262; 1476-6256
• DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwm029

Prenatal exposures to organophosphate pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls have been associated with abnormal neonatal behavior and/or primitive reflexes. In 1998–2002, the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center (New York City) investigated the effects of indoor pesticide use and exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls on pregnancy outcome and child neurodevelopment in an inner-city multiethnic cohort. The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale was administered before hospital discharge (n = 311). Maternal urine samples were analyzed for six dialkylphosphate metabolites and malathion dicarboxylic acid. A random subset of maternal peripheral blood samples from the entire cohort (n = 194) was analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls and 1,1′-dichloro-2,2′-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene. Malathion dicarboxylic acid levels above the limit of detection were associated with a 2.24-fold increase in the number of abnormal reflexes (95% confidence interval: 1.55, 3.24). Likewise, higher levels of total diethylphosphates and total dialkylphosphates were associated with an increase in abnormal reflexes, as was total dimethylphosphates after paraoxonase expression was considered. No adverse associations were found with polychlorinated biphenyl or 1,1′-dichloro-2,2′-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene levels and any behavior. The authors uncovered additional evidence that prenatal levels of organophosphate pesticide metabolites are associated with anomalies in primitive reflexes, which are a critical marker of neurologic integrity.