Center for Environmental Research and Community Health (CERCH), School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control and School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Psychology, University of Venda, Limpopo, South Africa.
Chemosphere. 2022 Nov;306:135569. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135569. Epub 2022 Jul 4.
Half the world's population is at risk for malaria. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) with insecticides has been effective in controlling malaria, yet the potential neurotoxicity of these insecticides is of concern, particularly for infants exposed in utero.
To determine the association of prenatal exposure to DDT/DDE and pyrethroid insecticides and behavioral/emotional problems in two-year-old children.
The Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE) birth cohort in South Africa, measured concentrations of p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE in maternal serum and pyrethroid metabolites (cis-DBCA, cis-DCCA, trans-DCCA, and 3-PBA) in maternal urine collected during pregnancy. At 2 years, 683 mothers were interviewed about their children's behavior and emotional development, using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). We examined associations between behavioral or emotional problems and biomarkers of prenatal insecticide exposure.
Maternal serum p,p'-DDT concentrations were associated with heightened withdrawn behavior in 2-year olds, with a 0.24 increase in raw scores (95%CI = 0.00, 0.49) and a 12% increase (95%CI = 1.01, 1.23) in risk of being at or above the borderline-clinical level, per 10-fold increase in concentrations. Ten-fold increases in p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE were related to 30% (RR = 1.30; 95%CI = 1.01, 1.67) and 39% (RR = 1.39; 95%CI =1.01, 1.91) higher risks, respectively, for increased oppositional-defiant behavior. p,p'-DDE concentrations were also related to increased risk of ADHD-related problems (RR = 1.30; 95%CI = 0.98, 1.72). Maternal urinary concentrations of cis-DBCA and 3-PBA were associated with increased risk of externalizing behaviors (RR = 1.30; 95%CI = 1.05, 1.62; RR = 1.35, 95%CI = 1.03, 1.78 per 10-fold increase, respectively), with some evidence of an association between cis-DBCA and affective disorders (RR = 1.25; 95%CI = 0.99, 1.56). Some associations with maternal pyrethroid concentrations were stronger in girls than boys.
Prenatal exposure to DDT and pyrethroid insecticides may be associated with maternally-reported behavioral problems in two-year-old children. Given their long history and continued use, further investigation is warranted.
世界上一半的人口面临疟疾风险。室内滞留喷洒（IRS）杀虫剂已被证明可有效控制疟疾，但这些杀虫剂的潜在神经毒性令人担忧，尤其是对宫内暴露的婴儿。
确定产前接触滴滴涕/滴滴伊和拟除虫菊酯杀虫剂与两岁儿童行为/情绪问题之间的关联。
南非文达母婴及其环境健康检查（VHEMBE）出生队列研究，测量了孕妇血清中 p,p'-滴滴涕和 p,p'-滴滴伊以及孕妇尿液中拟除虫菊酯代谢物（顺式-DBCA、顺式-DCCA、反式-DCCA 和 3-PBA）的浓度。在 2 岁时，683 名母亲接受了关于其孩子行为和情绪发展的访谈，使用儿童行为检查表（CBCL）。我们研究了行为或情绪问题与产前杀虫剂暴露生物标志物之间的关联。
母亲血清中的 p,p'-滴滴涕浓度与 2 岁儿童的退缩行为升高有关，原始分数增加 0.24（95%CI=0.00，0.49），风险增加 12%（95%CI=1.01，1.23）每增加 10 倍浓度。p,p'-滴滴涕和 p,p'-滴滴伊增加 10 倍与对立违抗性行为的风险分别增加 30%（RR=1.30；95%CI=1.01，1.67）和 39%（RR=1.39；95%CI=1.01，1.91）有关。p,p'-滴滴伊浓度也与 ADHD 相关问题的风险增加有关（RR=1.30；95%CI=0.98，1.72）。母体尿液中的顺式-DBCA 和 3-PBA 浓度与外化行为的风险增加有关（RR=1.30；95%CI=1.05，1.62；RR=1.35，95%CI=1.03，1.78 分别增加 10 倍），顺式-DBCA 与情感障碍之间存在一定的关联（RR=1.25；95%CI=0.99，1.56）。与女孩相比，母亲接触拟除虫菊酯浓度与某些行为问题的相关性更强。
产前接触滴滴涕和拟除虫菊酯杀虫剂可能与两岁儿童的母亲报告的行为问题有关。鉴于它们的悠久历史和持续使用，有必要进行进一步的研究。
