School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Martinsville Environmental Community Action Project, Martinsville, IN, USA.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Dec 1;954:176172. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176172. Epub 2024 Sep 12.
Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is a known neurotoxicant mainly observed in populations with high level occupational exposure. Health effects of low-level community exposure are poorly understood. This study evaluated PCE exposure and neurobehavioral performance in 6 to 11-year-old children living in a community with multiple PCE contamination sites.
This cross-sectional study recruited eighty-nine children who attended public schools in Martinsville, Indiana. PCE was measured in exhaled breath using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Children were classified into three exposure groups: 'Level 1' (≤ 0.75 μg/m), 'Level 2' (>0.75-1.90 μg/m), and 'Level 3' (>1.90 μg/m). A battery of tests assessed children's neurobehavioral performance related to their cognition, behavior, and academic achievement and a questionnaire collected demographic and exposure characteristics. Adjusted regression models estimated associations of PCE exposure with neurobehavioral outcomes.
Seventy-three participants completed data collection. The average scores for all participants on the Fluid, Total, Early Childhood Composites, Behavioral Symptoms Index, and Math Computation were significantly lower than standard scores of normative sample, with 30 % of participants having one or more scores two standard deviations worse than the standard scores. Compared to children having the lowest PCE exposure, significant inverse associations were identified for PCE exposure with Fluid Composite for Level 2 (β = -12.0 (95 % CI = -23.4, -0.6)) and Level 3 (-12.2 (-23.4, -1.0)) exposure groups, Total Composite for Level 2 (-10.1 (-19.2, -1.1)) and Level 3 (-11.8 (-20.4, -3.2)) exposure groups, and Early Childhood Composite for Level 3 exposure group (-11.0 (-18.7, -3.4)).
This study identified associations of PCE in exhaled breath with lower cognitive functioning, problem-solving abilities, and adaptive functioning in children. Mainly, working memory, episodic memory, processing speed, and executive function-cognitive flexibility were associated with PCE exposure. These results underscore the need for further investigations, considering the impact of low-level environmental exposure on children's neurobehavioral outcomes.
四氯乙烯（PCE）是一种已知的神经毒素，主要见于高水平职业暴露人群。低水平社区暴露的健康影响尚不清楚。本研究评估了居住在一个有多个 PCE 污染地点的社区中的 6 至 11 岁儿童的 PCE 暴露和神经行为表现。
本横断面研究招募了印第安纳州马廷斯维尔公立学校的 89 名儿童。使用质子转移反应质谱法测量呼出的呼吸中的 PCE。儿童被分为三组暴露水平：“水平 1”（≤0.75μg/m）、“水平 2”（>0.75-1.90μg/m）和“水平 3”（>1.90μg/m）。一组测试评估了与认知、行为和学业成绩相关的儿童神经行为表现，一份问卷收集了人口统计学和暴露特征。调整后的回归模型估计了 PCE 暴露与神经行为结果之间的关联。
73 名参与者完成了数据收集。所有参与者的流体、总、幼儿综合、行为症状指数和数学计算的平均得分均明显低于正常样本的标准得分，有 30%的参与者有一个或多个得分比标准得分低两个标准差。与暴露水平最低的儿童相比，水平 2（β=-12.0（95%CI=-23.4，-0.6））和水平 3（β=-12.2（-23.4，-1.0））暴露组的流体综合、水平 2（β=-10.1（-19.2，-1.1））和水平 3（β=-11.8（-20.4，-3.2））的总综合、以及水平 3 暴露组的幼儿综合与 PCE 暴露存在显著负相关（β=-11.0（-18.7，-3.4））。
本研究发现呼出的呼吸中的 PCE 与儿童认知功能、解决问题能力和适应功能降低有关。主要是工作记忆、情景记忆、处理速度和执行功能-认知灵活性与 PCE 暴露有关。这些结果强调了需要进一步研究，考虑到低水平环境暴露对儿童神经行为结果的影响。
