Aranbarri, A. 1, 2 , Lertxundi, N. 1, 2 , Velasco, D. 1 , Egurza, M. 1 , Arranz-Freijo, E. B. 1, 2 , Fano, E. 1, 2 & Ibarluzea, J. 4, 2, 3
1 Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Donostia.
2 BioDonostia Health Research Institute, Donostia.
3 CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Barcelona.
4 Public Health Subdivision of Gipuzkoa, The Basque Government's Health Department, Donostia.
Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'DDE) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are Organochlorine Compounds (OCs); characterized as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic environmental pollutants with potential neurotoxic effects for early neurodevelopment. The aim was to assess prenatal levels of OCs, associated with early neuropsychological development. Our sample was a population-based birth-cohort recruited between 2006-2008 from Zumarraga Hospital, derived from the INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente [Environment and Childhood]) project. The main analysis were based on 401 mother- child pairs with complete information on prenatal levels of OCs (collected both in maternal serum during pregnancy and newborn?s umbilical cord serum) and child neuropsychological development (assessed with Bayley Scales of Infant Development) at 26 months. Using multivariate linear regression models, we adjusted for main predictors of neuropsychological development and potential confounders, including social-familiar environment quality. We found that all three prenatal OCs levels studied, both in maternal serum and in newborn cord serum, were related with a subclinical-impairment of motor development. An average of 7 points decrease in Bayley motor scores (in between 5-9 points lost), were associated with each increase of 10 units in prenatal OCs levels. No effects on cognitive development were found. These results suggest that a potential neurotoxic effect of OCs may be evident even at a population-based children-cohort with low dose exposure.