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Sotelo-Orozco J, Calafat AM, Cook Botelho J, Schmidt RJ, Hertz-Picciotto I, Bennett DH. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals including phthalates, phenols, and parabens in infancy: Associations with neurodevelopmental outcomes in the MARBLES study. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2024; 261:114425. [PMID: 39047380 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 07/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are widely used compounds with the potential to affect child neurodevelopmental outcomes including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We aimed to examine the urinary concentrations of biomarkers of EDCs, including phthalates, phenols, and parabens, and investigate whether exposure during early infancy was associated with increased risk of later ASD or other non-typical development (Non-TD) or adverse cognitive development. METHODS This analysis included infants from the Markers of Autism Risks in Babies-Learning Early Signs (MARBLES) study, a high-risk ASD cohort (n = 148; corresponding to 188 urine samples). Thirty-two EDC biomarkers were quantified in urine among infants 3 and/or 6 months of age. Trends in EDC biomarker concentrations were calculated using least square geometric means. At 36 months of age, children were clinically classified as having ASD (n = 36), nontypical development (Non-TD; n = 18), or typical development (TD; n = 81) through a clinical evaluation. Trinomial logistic regression analysis was used to test the associations between biomarkers with ASD, or Non-TD, as compared to children with TD. In single analyte analysis, generalized estimating equations were used to investigate the association between each EDC biomarkers and longitudinal changes in cognitive development using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) over the four assessment time points (6, 12, 24, and 36 months of age). Additionally, quantile g-computation was used to test for a mixture effect. RESULTS EDC biomarker concentrations generally decreased over the study period, except for mono-2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl terephthalate. Overall, EDC biomarkers at 3 and/or 6 months of age were not associated with an increased risk of ASD or Non-TD, and a few showed significant inverse associations. However, when assessing longitudinal changes in MSEL scores over the four assessment time points, elevated monoethyl phthalate (MEP) was significantly associated with reduced scores in the composite score (β = -0.16, 95% CI: 0.31, -0.02) and subscales of fine motor skills (β = -0.09, 95%CI: 0.17, 0.00), and visual reception (β = -0.11, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.01). Additionally, the sum of metabolites of di (2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (ƩDEHTP) was associated with poorer visual reception (β = -0.09, 95% CI: 0.16, -0.02), and decreased composite scores (β = -0.11, 95% CI: 0.21, -0.01). Mixtures analyses using quantile g-computation analysis did not show a significant association between mixtures of EDC biomarkers and MSEL subscales or composite scores. CONCLUSION These findings highlight the potential importance of infant exposures on cognitive development. Future research can help further investigate whether early infant exposures are associated with longer-term deficits and place special attention on EDCs with increasing temporal trends and whether they may adversely affect neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennie Sotelo-Orozco
- Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Antonia M Calafat
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA
| | - Julianne Cook Botelho
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA
| | - Rebecca J Schmidt
- Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Deborah H Bennett
- Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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Belpomme D, Irigaray P. Response to Letter to the Editor: Electrohypersensitivity is always real. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 251:114839. [PMID: 36423669 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Belpomme
- Medical Oncology Department, Paris University, Paris, France; European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Philippe Irigaray
- European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), Brussels, Belgium
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Singh A, Lawler CP, Walker VR, Pelch KE, Garton AE, Rooney AA, Haugen AC. Becoming aWARE: The Development of a Web-Based Tool for Autism Research and the Environment. J Xenobiot 2023; 13:492-499. [PMID: 37754843 PMCID: PMC10532575 DOI: 10.3390/jox13030031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A sharp rise in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence estimates, beginning in the 1990s, suggested factors additional to genetics were at play. This stimulated increased research investment in nongenetic factors, including the study of environmental chemical exposures, diet, nutrition, lifestyle, social factors, and maternal medical conditions. Consequently, both peer- and non-peer-reviewed bodies of evidence investigating environmental contributors to ASD etiology have grown significantly. The heterogeneity in the design and conduct of this research results in an inconclusive and unwieldy 'virtual stack' of publications. We propose to develop a Web-based tool for Autism Research and the Environment (aWARE) to comprehensively aggregate and assess these highly variable and often conflicting data. The interactive aWARE tool will use an approach for the development of systematic evidence maps (SEMs) to identify and display all available relevant published evidence, enabling users to explore multiple research questions within the scope of the SEM. Throughout tool development, listening sessions and workshops will be used to seek perspectives from the broader autism community. New evidence will be indexed in the tool annually, which will serve as a living resource to investigate the association between environmental factors and ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anisha Singh
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Cindy P. Lawler
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Vickie R. Walker
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | | | - Amanda E. Garton
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Astrid C. Haugen
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
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Young AS, Herkert N, Stapleton HM, Coull BA, Hauser R, Zoeller T, Behnisch PA, Felzel E, Brouwer A, Allen JG. Hormone receptor activities of complex mixtures of known and suspect chemicals in personal silicone wristband samplers worn in office buildings. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 315:137705. [PMID: 36592838 PMCID: PMC9937064 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Humans are exposed to increasingly complex mixtures of hormone-disrupting chemicals from a variety of sources, yet, traditional research methods only evaluate a small number of chemicals at a time. We aimed to advance novel methods to investigate exposures to complex chemical mixtures. Silicone wristbands were worn by 243 office workers in the USA, UK, China, and India during four work shifts. We analyzed extracts of the wristbands for: 1) 99 known (targeted) chemicals; 2) 1000+ unknown chemical features, tentatively identified through suspect screening; and 3) total hormonal activities towards estrogen (ER), androgen (AR), and thyroid hormone (TR) receptors in human cell assays. We evaluated associations of chemicals with hormonal activities using Bayesian kernel machine regression models, separately for targeted versus suspect chemicals (with detection ≥50%). Every wristband exhibited hormonal activity towards at least one receptor: 99% antagonized TR, 96% antagonized AR, and 58% agonized ER. Compared to men, women were exposed to mixtures that were more estrogenic (180% higher, adjusted for country, age, and skin oil abundance in wristband), anti-androgenic (110% higher), and complex (median 836 detected chemical features versus 780). Adjusted models showed strong associations of jointly increasing chemical concentrations with higher hormonal activities. Several targeted and suspect chemicals were important co-drivers of overall mixture effects, including chemicals used as plasticizers, fragrance, sunscreen, pesticides, and from other or unknown sources. This study highlights the role of personal care products and building microenvironments in hormone-disrupting exposures, and the substantial contribution of chemicals not often identifiable or well-understood to those exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S Young
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Nicholas Herkert
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Dr, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Heather M Stapleton
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Dr, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Thomas Zoeller
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Morrill Science Center, Amherst 01003, USA
| | - Peter A Behnisch
- BioDetection Systems, Science Park 406, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Emiel Felzel
- BioDetection Systems, Science Park 406, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Abraham Brouwer
- BioDetection Systems, Science Park 406, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Joseph G Allen
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Associations between Elemental Metabolic Dynamics and Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity Are Altered in Autism. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12031022. [PMID: 36769671 PMCID: PMC9917994 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12031022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with atypical social communication, cognitive, and sensory faculties. Recent advances in exposure biology suggest that biomarkers of elemental uptake and metabolism measured in hair samples can yield an effective signal predictive of autism diagnosis. Here, we investigated if elemental biomarkers in hair were associated with functional connectivity in regions of the default mode network (DMN) previously linked to autism. In a study sample which included twin pairs with concordant and discordant diagnoses for autism, our analysis of hair samples and neuroimaging data supported two general findings. First, independent of autism diagnosis, we found a broad pattern of association between elemental biomarkers and functional connectivity in the DMN, which primarily involved dynamics in zinc metabolism. Second, we found that associations between the DMN and elemental biomarkers, particularly involving phosphorus, calcium, manganese, and magnesium, differed significantly in autistic participants from control participants. In sum, these findings suggest that functional dynamics in elemental metabolism relate broadly to persistent patterns of functional connectivity in the DMN, and that these associations are altered in the emergence of autism.
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Lee KA, Gomez A, Zak RS. Vitamin D deficiency and restless legs syndrome during pregnancy: walking in sunshine? J Clin Sleep Med 2023; 19:3-4. [PMID: 36377836 PMCID: PMC9806791 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.10358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn A. Lee
- School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Alexander Gomez
- Sleep Disorders Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
- Department of Medicine, SFVA Healthcare System, San Francisco, California
| | - Rochelle S. Zak
- Sleep Disorders Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
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Lyons-Warren AM, Hirtz D. More Than a Brain Injury: A Novel Link Between Pediatric Stroke and Autism. Neurology 2022; 98:784-785. [PMID: 35338081 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000200272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ariel M Lyons-Warren
- Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital
| | - Deborah Hirtz
- University of Vermont School of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont
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