Infants ingesting high breast milk levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers may have negative impact on their neurodevelopment

Our goal was to design a follow-up cohort study for infant exposure to PBDEs. Thirty-five breastfed infants having breast milk PBDE levels were recruited from our cohort at approximately one-year old. Eleven PBDEs (BDE-47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 196, 197, 206, 207, 208, and 209) in breast milk were analyzed using a high resolution gas chromatograph with a high resolution mass spectrometer. Infant development was determined using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. The mean of ΣPBDEs in breast milk was 7.00 ng/g lipid. Higher ΣPBDEs in breast milk was significantly correlated with a lower score of the cognitive scale (r=-0.369, p=0.029). Increased ΣPBDEs was significantly linked to decreased the adaptive behavior scale (p=0.017). After adjusting for maternal age, pre-pregnant body mass index (BMI), baby ´ s sex, gestational age, and infant ´s current age for testing Bayley scales, an adjusted odds ratio (OR) (OR=0.966, p=0.035) of the cognitive score in infants with BDE-100 ≥75 percentile was significantly lower compared with the control group (BDE-100<;75%) using logistic regression models. Infants with BDE-207, 208, and 209≥75% (ORs=0.802-0.818, p=0.043-0.047) had significantly lower adjusted ORs of the adaptive-behavior scores compared with control groups. The findings of the present study were that infants exposure to a high level of BDE-100 might suffer from developmental delay for cognition, while exposure to high levels of BDE-207, 208, and 209 might reduce their adaptive behavior.