Prenatal urinary triclosan concentrations and child neurobehavior
- DOI
- Language of the publication
- English
- Date
- 2018-03-02
- Type
- Article
- Author(s)
- Etzel, Taylor
- Muckle, Gina
- Arbuckle, Tye E.
- Fraser, William D.
- Ouellet, Emmanuel
- Séguin, Jean R.
- Lanphear, Bruce
- Braun, Joseph M.
- Publisher
- Elsevier
Abstract
Background Exposure to triclosan, an antimicrobial chemical, is ubiquitous among pregnant women and may reduce thyroid hormone levels that are important for fetal neurodevelopment. Few studies have examined the association between prenatal triclosan exposure and children's neurobehavior. Objective We investigated the relationship of prenatal urinary triclosan concentrations with children's behavior and cognitive abilities at age three years in a prospective pregnancy and birth cohort in Canada. Methods We measured triclosan in urine samples collected at ~12 weeks of gestation in 794 Canadian women enrolled in a prospective pregnancy and birth cohort study (MIREC) from 2008 to 2011. Around age 3 years, we assessed children's cognitive abilities using the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scale of Intelligence-III (WPPSI-III), and two scales of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool (BRIEF-P). Parents reported children's problem and reciprocal social behaviors using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) and Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2), respectively. Results After adjusting for confounders using multivariable linear regression, triclosan was not associated with most of the 30 examined neurobehavioral scales. Each 10-fold increase in triclosan was associated with better WPPSI-III picture completion scores (β: 0.2; 95% CI: 0,0.5) and BASC-2 externalizing (β: −0.5; 95% CI: −1.1, 0) and hyperactivity (β: −0.6; 95% CI: −1.2, −0.1) scores, suggesting less externalizing and hyperactive behaviors. Child sex did not modify these associations. Conclusions In this cohort, urinary triclosan concentrations measured once in early pregnancy were not associated with most assessed aspects of neurobehavior and weakly associated with a few others, but not in the hypothesized direction.
Plain language summary
Health Canada helps to protect the health of Canadians by assessing and managing the risks associated with exposure to environmental chemicals. Triclosan is a chemical used as a preservative as well as to kill or remove bacteria in various products including cosmetics, natural health products, non-prescription drugs and cleaning products. Prenatal triclosan exposure has been associated with adverse effects in a few studies but not others. However, few prior studies have examined measures of children’s ability to learn and reason. This study examined the potential association between triclosan levels in urine of pregnant women enrolled in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study and child learning and behavior. When some of the children born to these women were about 3 years of age, the study team measured the children’s cognitive abilities using standardized tests of their intelligence (IQ) and executive function (ability to plan, organize, pay attention and remember things). Parents also reported information on their child’s behaviour. Levels of triclosan in the urine of the pregnant women were not associated with adverse effects on their child’s IQ or behavior. No differences were observed in boys or girls. These results will add to the body of knowledge on whether prenatal triclosan exposure has any adverse effects on child IQ or behavior.
Subject
- Health,
- Health and safety