TY - JOUR
T1 - Prenatal exposure to organochlorine pesticides and early childhood neurodevelopment: A prospective birth cohort study
AU - Xu, Ziyuan
AU - Fang, Jing
AU - Yang, Chenhui
AU - Wang, Aizhen
AU - Xu, Shunqing
AU - Cai, Zongwei
AU - Li, Yuanyuan
AU - Liu, Hongxiu
AU - Li, Qinfen
AU - Liu, Beibei
AU - Cao, Zhongqiang
AU - Xia, Wei
N1 - This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21A20397, 42277428, 42577501), the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province of China (2024AFB555), Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University (XTCX2022JKA02), Innovation Fund for Scientific and Technological Personnel of Hainan Province (KJRC2023B02), Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and control of Wuhan University of Science and Technology (OHIC2024K01), and Chongqing Academy of Preventive Medicine Open Research Grant (2025YKYKF003). We appreciate the contributions of all participants, laboratory staff, and colleagues. The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of the department.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc
PY - 2026/3/1
Y1 - 2026/3/1
N2 - Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), banned decades ago due to their environmental persistence and toxicity, countinue to be detected as residual DDTs and HCHs in human populations. Previous studies suggest that prenatal exposure to OCPs may impair neurodevelopment in offspring, but the evidence remains inconsistent, especially regarding specific isomers, such as α-HCH and γ-HCH, which have rarely assessed in humans. This study investigated the association between prenatal OCP exposure and early childhood neurodevelopment, and explored the potential sex-specific effects. We measured HCH isomers (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH), DDT isomers (p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT), and DDT metabolites (o,p′-DDD, o,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDE) in cord serum from 447 mother-child pairs in a birth cohort study in Wuhan, China (2014–2015). Neurodevelopment was assessed at age 2 with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, which generated mental development index (MDI) and psychomotor development index (PDI) scores. Associations were evaluated using linear regression and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, with analyses stratified by sex. Most OCPs were detectable in over 50 % of samples, with median concentrations of 39.5 ng/g lipid for ∑DDTs and 10.8 ng/g lipid for ∑HCHs. Higher cord serum OCP concentrations were associated with lower MDI scores. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in γ-HCH was linked to a 2.45-point decrease in MDI (95 % CI: −4.76, −0.14) in all children, although this association did not remain significant after FDR correction. In girls, inverse associations were observed for α-HCH (−4.54 points; 95 % CI: −7.55, −1.53), γ-HCH (−5.20 points; 95 % CI: −8.04, −2.36), and p,p′-DDD (−5.25 points; 95 % CI: −9.97, −0.53). In mixture analyses, each quartile increase in OCP mixture was associated with a 6.10-point decrease in MDI and a 6.46-point decrease in PDI in girls, with γ-HCH (51.2 %) and p,p′-DDT (35.6 %) identified as the largest contributors. The results indicate that prenatal exposure to certain OCPs, particularly γ-HCH and p,p′-DDT, is associated with poorer neurodevelopment in early childhood, especially in girls. The findings highlight the need to address persistent OCP exposure and its developmental impacts.
AB - Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), banned decades ago due to their environmental persistence and toxicity, countinue to be detected as residual DDTs and HCHs in human populations. Previous studies suggest that prenatal exposure to OCPs may impair neurodevelopment in offspring, but the evidence remains inconsistent, especially regarding specific isomers, such as α-HCH and γ-HCH, which have rarely assessed in humans. This study investigated the association between prenatal OCP exposure and early childhood neurodevelopment, and explored the potential sex-specific effects. We measured HCH isomers (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH), DDT isomers (p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT), and DDT metabolites (o,p′-DDD, o,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDE) in cord serum from 447 mother-child pairs in a birth cohort study in Wuhan, China (2014–2015). Neurodevelopment was assessed at age 2 with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, which generated mental development index (MDI) and psychomotor development index (PDI) scores. Associations were evaluated using linear regression and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, with analyses stratified by sex. Most OCPs were detectable in over 50 % of samples, with median concentrations of 39.5 ng/g lipid for ∑DDTs and 10.8 ng/g lipid for ∑HCHs. Higher cord serum OCP concentrations were associated with lower MDI scores. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in γ-HCH was linked to a 2.45-point decrease in MDI (95 % CI: −4.76, −0.14) in all children, although this association did not remain significant after FDR correction. In girls, inverse associations were observed for α-HCH (−4.54 points; 95 % CI: −7.55, −1.53), γ-HCH (−5.20 points; 95 % CI: −8.04, −2.36), and p,p′-DDD (−5.25 points; 95 % CI: −9.97, −0.53). In mixture analyses, each quartile increase in OCP mixture was associated with a 6.10-point decrease in MDI and a 6.46-point decrease in PDI in girls, with γ-HCH (51.2 %) and p,p′-DDT (35.6 %) identified as the largest contributors. The results indicate that prenatal exposure to certain OCPs, particularly γ-HCH and p,p′-DDT, is associated with poorer neurodevelopment in early childhood, especially in girls. The findings highlight the need to address persistent OCP exposure and its developmental impacts.
KW - Cord serum
KW - Neurodevelopment
KW - Organochlorine pesticides
KW - Persistent organic pollutants
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105032258302
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119927
DO - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119927
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0147-6513
VL - 312
JO - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
JF - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
M1 - 119927
ER -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being