Background: Epidemiologic studies of postnatal PCB exposure and behavior have not reported consistent evidence of adverse associations, possibly because of challenges in exposure estimation. We previously developed a pharmacokinetic model to improve estimation of children’s PCB exposure.

Objectives: We aimed to assess whether estimated serum PCB levels in infancy are associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)–related behaviors at 8 years of age among children whose cord serum PCB levels were previously shown to be associated with ADHD-related behaviors.

Methods: We used a pharmacokinetic model to estimate monthly serum polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)–153 levels in 441 infants (ages 1–12 months) based on parameters such as breastfeeding and cord serum PCB-153 levels. Behavior was evaluated at age 8 using the Conners’ Rating Scale for Teachers (CRS-T). Associations between PCB-153 levels and ADHD-related CRS-T indices were assessed using multivariable quantile regression at the 50th and 75th percentiles of CRS-T scores, where higher percentiles reflect more adverse behaviors.

Results: Cord serum PCB-153 levels (median, 38 ng/g lipids) were associated with ADHD-related behaviors, although statistical significance was observed with quantile regression models only at the 75th percentile. Associations with postnatal exposure estimates were attenuated. For example, hyperactive-impulsive behavior scores at age 8 years were 0.9 points (95% CI: 0.2, 2.5), 0.5 points (95% CI: 0.3, 2.3), and 0.3 points (95% CI: –0.2, 1.5) higher in association with interquartile range increases in serum PCB-153 at birth, 2 months, and 12 months of age, respectively.

Conclusions: Associations between estimated postnatal PCB-153 exposures and ADHD-related behaviors at 8 years of age were weaker than associations with PCB-153 concentrations measured in cord serum at birth.

Citation: Verner MA, Hart JE, Sagiv SK, Bellinger DC, Altshul LM, Korrick SA. 2015. Measured prenatal and estimated postnatal levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and ADHD-related behaviors in 8-year-old children. Environ Health Perspect 123:888–894;  http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408084

Address correspondence to S.A. Korrick, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115 USA. Telephone: (617) 525-2771. E-mail: susan.korrick@channing.harvard.edu

We thank C. Kehoe and W. Atkinson for data collection; D. Sredl, C. Chen, C. Crociani, and E. Wood for database management and programming; and D. Raposo and the labor and delivery staff at St. Luke’s Hospital for support with data collection.

Support for this research was provided by the following grants: R01 ES014864, P42 ES005947, and P30 ES000002 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. M-A.V. was also supported by a postdoctoral training award from the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec–Santé (FRQS).

M-A.V. is a part-time consultant to the Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC (nonprofit research institute with programs in environmental health sciences, chemical risk assessment, and translational research). L.M.A. is employed part-time by Environmental Health and Engineering Inc., Needham, MA (environmental health and engineering consulting services for building-related issues).

The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests.

Received: 3 January 2014 Accepted: 11 March 2015 Advance Publication: 13 March 2015 Final Publication: 1 September 2015

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