Association of current phthalate exposure with neurobehavioral development in a national sample
Abstract
Background Previous studies have indicated that phthalate exposure may influence the development of children, but the current data are limited, and controversy remains regarding the sex-specific and age-specific effects of phthalate exposure. Methods We investigated the sex- and age-specific associations of current phthalate exposure with neurobehavioral development scores in a nationally representative sample of 6-18-year-olds participating in the Korean Environmental Health Survey in Children and Adolescents (KorEHS-C). Neurobehavioral development was assessed using the Korean Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL, N=1723) and the Korean Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ARS, N=867). We measured the concentrations of phthalate metabolites in urine samples using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The associations between urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and neurobehavioral development were examined by survey regression analysis for complex sampling and penalized regression splines using a generalized additive model. Results Survey regression analysis revealed that a higher mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) level was associated with social (β=0.60; 95% confidence interval=0.15-1.05), thought (0.55; 0.08-1.03), and attention (0.68; 0.21-1.14) problems on the CBCL. A significant association was found between the MnBP level and the ARS hyperactivity subscale score (0.42; 0.05-0.58). Higher levels of MnBP (0.87; 0.20-1.54), mono-2-…
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A supralinear association between MnBP exposure and deficits in social behavior, cognition, and attention has been described.
“A supralinear association between MnBP exposure and deficits in social behavior, cognition, and attention has also been described (Won et al., 2016).”
From Environmental endocrine disruptors at the synapse: mechanisms linking chemical exposure to cognitive and behavioral dysfunction (2026) · cites this paper as Won et al., 2016
Cites
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Phthalates and other additives in plastics: human exposure and associated health outcomes
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Seralini, G.-E., & Jungers, G. (2021) · Toxicology Reports · doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2021.07.014 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Jocsak, G., Kiss, D. S., Alymbaeva, D., Diebald, A., Zsarnovszky, A., Heinzlmann, A., & Bartha, T. (2026) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1821381 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“A supralinear association between MnBP exposure and deficits in social behavior, cognition, and attention has also been described (Won et al., 2016).”
- Authors
- Won, E.-K., Kim, Y., Ha, M., Burm, E., Kim, Y.-S., Lim, H., Jung, D.-E., Lim, S., Kim, S.-Y., Kim, Y.-M., Kim, H.-C., Lee, K. J., Cheong, H.-K., Kang, H.-T., Son, M., Sakong, J., Oh, G.-J., Lee, C.-G., Kim, S. Y., Ryu, J. M., & Kim, S. J.
- Affiliations
- Youngdong University (KR)
- Dankook University (KR)
- Kyung Hee University (KR)
- Korea National Open University (KR)
- Sungkyunkwan University (KR)
- Yonsei University (KR)
- Kangwon National University (KR)
- Yeungnam University College (KR)
- Wonkwang University (KR)
- Chosun University (KR)
- Eulji University (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Kim, Yeni
- Ha, Mina
- ORCID
- Venue
- International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-07
- Volume
- 219
- Issue
- 4-5
- Pages
- 364-371
- ISSN
- 1438-4639 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2303556717
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 2.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of the Environmental Research
- Ministry of the Environment, Republic of Korea
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Keywords
- phthalate exposure, neurobehavioral development, mono-n-butyl phthalate, MEHHP, MEOHP, attention deficits, hyperactivity, thought problems, social problems, sex differences, age differences, children and adolescents
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Attention, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Child Behavior, Environmental Exposure, Environmental Pollutants, Female, Humans, Lead, Male, Phthalic Acids, Social Behavior, Republic of Korea
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