Prenatal exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) and the risk of autism spectrum disorders in children aged 16–37 months: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/pervasive-developmental-disorder" title="Learn more about Autism spectrum disorder from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Autism spectrum disorder</a> (ASD) as a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/neurologic-disease" title="Learn more about neurological disorder from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">neurological disorder</a> can result from the interaction of genetic and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/environmental-factor" title="Learn more about environmental factors from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">environmental factors</a> such as air pollution and exposure to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/chemical-pollutant" title="Learn more about chemical pollutants from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">chemical pollutants</a>. This study tested the hypothesis that living in areas near <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/petrochemical-agent" title="Learn more about petrochemical from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">petrochemical</a> industries and exposure to benzene, toluene, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/ethylbenzene" title="Learn more about ethylbenzene from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">ethylbenzene</a>, and xylene (BTEX) may adversely affect maternal and fetal health and increase the risk of autism. We conducted a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/prospective-cohort-study" title="Learn more about prospective cohort study from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">prospective cohort study</a> from 2019 to 2024, following 110 pregnant women divided into exposure and control groups, along with 145 children born during the study [exposure group (n = 80) and control group (n = 65)]. Prenatal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/urinary-system" title="Learn more about urinary from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">urinary</a> BTEX concentrations were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The MCHAT-R/F screening tool was used to track the child's behavior in terms of the occurrence of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/autism-spectrum" title="Learn more about autism spectrum from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">autism spectrum</a> symptoms. The results showed that the mean concentration of prenatal BTEX <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/kidney-concentrating-capacity" title="Learn more about urine concentration from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">urine concentration</a> in the exposed group (557 ng/l) was significantly higher than that in the control group (258 ng/l). The M-CHAT-R/F screening indicated moderate ASD risk in six exposure group children and three control group children; and high ASD risk for four exposure group children and one control group child. The findings in the exposure group revealed a higher incidence of ASD among boys compared to girls (4:2 in medium risk and 3:1 in high risk). <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/multivariate-logistic-regression-analysis" title="Learn more about Multivariate logistic regression analysis from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Multivariate logistic regression analysis</a> indicated that the prevalence of autism in the exposed group was significantly associated with exposure to benzene (OR, 2.10; 95%CI, 1.93–2.17; P_value<0.05) and toluene (OR, 1.7; 95%CI, 1.62–1.81; P_value<0.05). Living in industrial areas and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/perinatal-exposure" title="Learn more about perinatal exposure from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">perinatal exposure</a> to BTEX compounds may increase the risk of ASD. Therefore, health impact assessment studies focusing on the health of vulnerable groups before the construction of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/petrochemical-agent" title="Learn more about petrochemical from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">petrochemical</a> industries, as well as the monitoring of relevant health indices during the operational phase, should be prioritized.<br></p>