Prenatal exposure to mirex impairs neurodevelopment at age of 4 years
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Background Some studies have suggested that certain organochlorine (OC) compounds may impair neurodevelopment in animals and humans. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between prenatal exposure to an OC pesticide, mirex, and cognitive development in children at age of 4 years. Methods A population-based birth cohort in Granada (Spain) recruited between 2000 and 2002 was studied between 2005 and 2006, when the children were 4 years old. Complete data for analyses, including mirex determination in placentas, were gathered on a random sample of 104 children. A standardized version of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) was used to assess children's motor and cognitive abilities. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the relation between MSCA scores and prenatal exposure to mirex, adjusting for potential confounders. Results The presence of mirex in placenta was inversely associated with cognitive development at 4 years of age: children with prenatal exposure to mirex (>or=limit of quantification: 26%; median: 1.4 ng/g placenta) showed a decrease of 5.15 points in working memory and of 7.33 points in the quantitative area with respect to children of the same age not prenatally exposed to mirex. Conclusion The deficit found in intellectual function during early childhood suggests that prenatal exposure to mirex may have a significant impact on school performance.
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Prenatal exposure to mirex has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in children evident as early as preschool age.
“while prenatal exposure to mirex has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in children evident as early as preschool age (Jin and Karlstedt, 2025; Puertas et al., 2010).”
From Environmental endocrine disruptors at the synapse: mechanisms linking chemical exposure to cognitive and behavioral dysfunction (2026) · cites this paper as Puertas et al., 2010
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The assessment of parent-to-infant attachment: Development of a self-report questionnaire instrument
Condon, J. T., & Corkindale, C. J. (1998) · Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology · doi:10.1080/02646839808404558 · Cited by 546 · see citing works
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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
“Exposure to dicofol has been associated with long-lasting cognitive and emotional impairments, while prenatal exposure to mirex has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in children evident as early as preschool age (Jin and Karlstedt, 2025; Puertas et al., 2010).”
- Authors
- Puertas, R., Lopez-Espinosa, M.-J., Cruz, F., Ramos, R., Freire, C., Pérez-García, M., Abril, A., Julvez, J., Salvatierra, M., & Campoy, C.
- Affiliations
- Universidad de Granada (ES)
- Venue
- NeuroToxicology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-01
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 154-160
- ISSN
- 0161-813X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2062001745
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- Locations
- NeuroToxicology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Institutional Repository of the University of Granada (University of Granada) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (submittedVersion)
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Keywords
- mirex, organochlorine pesticides, prenatal exposure, brain development, cognitive development, working memory, McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, birth cohort
- MeSH terms
- Child Development, Developmental Disabilities, Child, Preschool, Disability Evaluation, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Mirex, Neuropsychological Tests, Placenta, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Psychomotor Performance, Regression Analysis, Retrospective Studies, Cohort Studies, Statistics, Nonparametric
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