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Hestien J.I. Vreugdenhil,¹ Froukje M. E. Slijper,² Paul G.H. Mulder,³ and Nynke Weisglas-Kuperus¹

¹Department of Paediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus University Rotterdam and University Hospital/Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; ²Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sophia Children's Hospital/Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands; ³Institute of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins are known as neurotoxic compounds that may modulate sex steroid hormones. Steroid hormones play a mediating role in brain development and may influence behaviors that show sex differences, such as childhood play behavior. In this study we evaluated the effects of perinatal exposure to environmental levels of PCBs and dioxins on childhood play behavior and whether the effects showed sex differences. As part of the follow-up to the Dutch PCB/dioxin study at school age, we used the Pre-School Activity Inventory (PSAI) to assess play behavior in the Rotterdam cohort (n = 207) . The PSAI assesses masculine or feminine play behavior scored on three subscales: masculine, feminine, and composite. Prenatal exposure to PCBs was defined as the sum of PCB 118, 138, 153, and 180 in maternal and cord plasma and breast milk. For breast milk we measured additional PCBs as well as 17 dioxins. Respondents returned 160 questionnaires (age 7.5 years ± 0.4) . Effects of prenatal exposure to PCBs, measured in maternal and cord plasma, on the masculine and composite scales were different for boys and girls (p < .05) . In boys, higher prenatal PCB levels were related with less masculinized play, assessed by the masculine scale (p_maternal = .042 ; p_cord = .001) and composite scale (p_cord = .011) , whereas in girls higher PCB levels were associated with more masculinized play, assessed by the composite scale (p_PCBmilk = .028) . Higher prenatal dioxin levels were associated with more feminized play in boys as well as girls, assessed by the feminine scale (p = .048) . These effects suggest prenatal steroid hormone imbalances caused by prenatal exposure to environmental levels of PCBs, dioxins, and other related organochlorine compounds. Key words: dioxins, endocrine disruption, play behavior, polychlorinated biphenyls, prenatal exposure, sex-specific, sex steroids. Environ Health Perspect 110:A593-A598 (2002) . [Online 13 September 2002]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/110pA593-A598vreugdenhil/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to N. Weisglas-Kuperus Department of Paediatrics, Division of Neonatology Sophia Children's Hospital, PO Box 2060, 3000 CB Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Telephone: +31-10-4636077 Fax: +31-10-4636811. E-mail: weisglas@alkg.azr.nl

We thank S.L.S. Drop, F.H. de Jong, and A. Brouwer for critically reviewing this paper ; C. Koopman-Essenboom for recruitment of all mother-infant pairs and collection of blood and milk samples ; and all parents and their children for participation in this study.

This study was funded by The European Commission for Environmental and Health Programs Contract EV5V-CT92-0207 and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant 82944501.

Received 16 November 2001 ; accepted 25 June 2002.