Bisphenol A Exposure in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Open accessAbstract
The etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is believed to involve genetic and environmental components. This study focused on the plasticizer, Bisphenol‐A (BPA). The major pathway for BPA metabolism and excretion is via glucuronidation. To determine whether there was a relationship between BPA exposure and ASD, urine specimens were collected from 46 children with ASD and 52 controls. Free and total BPA concentrations were determined by mass spectrometry. The fraction glucuronidated was calculated from the difference. A metabolomics study was done to investigate metabolite distribution in the urine. (i) Most of the BPA excreted in the urine was as the glucuronide; (ii) about 20% of the ASD children had BPA levels beyond the 90th percentile (>50 ng/mL) of the frequency distribution for the total sample of 98 children; (iii) Mann–Whitney U tests and multiple regression analyses found significant differences ( P < 0.05) between the groups in total and % bound BPA; and (iv) the metabolomics analyses showed the number of absolute partial correlations >|0.30| between metabolite concentrations and total BPA was ∼3 times greater with the ASD group than the controls ( P < 0.001), and the number of absolute partial correlations > |0.30| for % bound BPA was ∼15 times higher with ASD ( P < 0.001). The results suggest there is an association between BPA and ASD. Autism Res 2015, 8: 272–283 . © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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The published literature on bisphenol A and autism is conflicting, reporting associations ranging from none to rather substantial links with clinical autism and autistic traits.
“Concerning bisphenol A, the published literature, mostly characterized by smaller case–control studies is also conflicting, reporting associations ranging from none to rather substantial links with clinical autism and autistic traits [203–206].”
From The contribution of environmental exposure to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (2019) · cites this paper as [203]
In a report of 46 children with ASD and 52 age-matched neurotypical control children, total urine BPA concentrations were higher in children with ASD compared with controls.
“Furthermore, in a recent report of 46 children with ASD and 52 age-matched neurotypical control children, total urine BPA concentrations were higher in children with ASD compared with controls [ 137 ].”
From DNA methylation: a mechanism linking environmental chemical exposures to risk of autism spectrum disorders? (2016) · cites this paper as [137]
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- Authors
- Stein, T. P., Schluter, M. D., Steer, R. A., Guo, L., & Ming, X.
- Affiliations
- Rowan University (US)
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Seton Hall University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Stein, T. Peter
- Venue
- Autism Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-01-13
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 272-283
- ISSN
- 1939-3792 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-3806
- PMC
- PMC4474754
- OpenAlex
- W1722243830
- Cited by
- 151
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 5
- FWCI
- 7.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Autism Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- NJ Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism (CAUT13APL016)
- NIH (#RES015316A)
- Department of Defense (# W81XWH-08-1-0729)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
- Keywords
- bisphenol A, autism spectrum disorder, children, urinary BPA, glucuronidation, urine metabolomics, environmental exposure, plasticizers, autism etiology
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Bisphenol A Compounds, Benzhydryl Compounds, Child, Environmental Exposure, Female, Humans, Male, Phenols, Mass Spectrometry
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