Prenatal Organophosphate Insecticide Exposure and Infant Sensory Function

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chen M ; Ji C ; Kaciroti N ; Li M ; Lozoff B ; Meeker JD ; Shao J ; Silver MK ; Xia Y ; Xu L ; Zhu B
• Description:
  Background: Occupational studies suggest that exposure to organophosphate insecticides (OPs) can lead to vision or hearing loss. Yet the effects of early-life exposure on visual and auditory function are unknown. Here we examined associations between prenatal OP exposure and grating visual acuity (VA) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) during infancy. Methods: 30 OPs were measured in umbilical cord blood using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in a cohort of Chinese infants. Grating visual acuity (VA) (n = 179-200) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) (n = 139-183) were assessed at 6 weeks, 9 months, and 18 months. Outcomes included VA score, ABR wave V latency and central conduction time, and head circumference (HC). Associations between sensory outcomes during infancy and cord OPs were examined using linear mixed models. Results Prenatal chlorpyrifos exposure was associated with lower 9-month grating VA scores; scores were 0.64 (95% CI: -1.22, -0.06) points lower for exposed versus unexposed infants (p = 0.03). The OPs examined were not associated with infant ABR latencies, but chlorpyrifos and phorate were both significantly inversely associated with HC at 9 months; HCs were 0.41 (95% CI: 0.75, 0.6) cm and 0.44 (95% CI: 0.88, 0.1) cm smaller for chlorpyrifos (p = 0.02) and phorate (p = 0.04), respectively. Conclusions: We found deficits in grating VA and HC in 9-month-old infants with prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos. The clinical significance of these small but statistically significant deficits is unclear. However, the disruption of visual or auditory pathway maturation in infancy could potentially negatively affect downstream cognitive development. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Eye Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety Sense Organs Vision Disorders
• Keywords:
  Auditory Processing Auditory System Author Keywords: Pesticide Children Chlorpyrifos Neurodevelopment Organophosphorus Insecticides Prenatal Exposure Sensory Motor System Vision Disorders Visual Acuity

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• ISSN:
  1438-4639
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Michigan ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  469-478
• Volume:
  221
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056672
• Citation:
  Int J Hyg Environ Health 2018 Apr; 221(3):469-478
• Contact Point Address:
  John D. Meeker, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1835 SPH 1, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
• Email:
  meekerj@umich.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chlorpyrifos (CAS RN 2921-88-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0ce383904c3ddf10fa5ae841dbcca7d95f9dc733755a0d39f4da4d2ccce521e9d2cf6aab8314f6b1ac4ce956c2b2d0a638159ab5b207722bfde9a216378c9ff2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214227/cdc_214227_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 788.64 KB ]