Phthalates exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in school-age children.
BACKGROUND
Very few studies have examined the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and phthalate exposure in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of phthalates on symptoms of ADHD in school-age children.


METHODS
A cross-sectional examination of urine phthalate concentrations was performed, and scores on measures of ADHD symptoms and neuropsychological dysfunction with regard to attention and impulsivity were obtained from 261 Korean children, age 8-11 years.


RESULTS
Mono-2-ethylheyl phthalate (MEHP) and mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexylphthalate (MEOP) for metabolites of Di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MNBP) for metabolites of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were measured in urine samples. The mean concentrations of MEHP, MEOP, and MNBP were 34.0 microg/dL (SD = 36.3; range: 2.1-386.7), 23.4 microg/dL (SD = 23.0; range: .75-244.8), and 46.7 microg/L (SD = 21.4; range: 13.2-159.3), respectively. After adjustment for covariates, teacher-rated ADHD scores were significantly associated with DEHP metabolites but not with DBP metabolites. We also found significant relationships between the urine concentrations of metabolites for DBP and the number of omission and commission errors in continuous performance tests (CPT) after adjustment for covariates.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed a strong positive association between phthalate metabolites in urine and symptoms of ADHD among school-age children.
Kim
Bung-Nyun
BN
Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Cho
Soo-Churl
SC
Kim
Yeni
Y
Shin
Min-Sup
MS
Yoo
Hee-Jeong
HJ
Kim
Jae-Won
JW
Yang
Young Hee
YH
Kim
Hyo-Won
HW
Bhang
Soo-Young
SY
Hong
Yun-Chul
YC
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000652:urine*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
D010795:Phthalic Acids; C479069:mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate; C032279:phthalic acid; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate; C016599:mono-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate; C028577:monobutyl phthalate