Association of Bisphenol A Exposure and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a National Sample of U.S. Children

Overview

Journal Environ Res

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Environmental Health

Date 2016 Jun 10

PMID 27281688

Citations 32

Authors

Shruti Tewar

Peggy Auinger

Joseph M Braun

Bruce Lanphear

Kimberly Yolton

Jeffery N Epstein

Shelley Ehrlich

Tanya E Froehlich

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to changes in the dopamine system and development of an Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) phenotype in animal models, with differing effects in males compared to females. We examined the association between urinary BPA concentrations and ADHD in a national sample of U.S. children, and whether this association differs by child sex.

Methods: We used data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of the U.S.

Population: Participants were 8-15 years of age (N=460). Using a diagnostic interview to ascertain the presence of ADHD in the past year, multivariable logistic regression examined the link between concurrent urinary BPA concentrations and ADHD status.

Results: Of the 460 participants, 7.1% [95% CI: 4.4-11.3] met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for ADHD. Children who had BPA concentrations at or above the median of the sample had higher prevalence of meeting criteria for ADHD (11.2% [95% CI: 6.8-17.8]) than those with BPA concentrations below the median (2.9% [95% CI: 1.1-7.2]). Higher urinary BPA concentrations were associated with ADHD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.68 [95% CI: 1.6-19.8] for BPA concentrations above vs. below the median). In sex-stratified analyses, these associations were stronger in boys (aOR=10.9 [95% CI: 1.4-86.0]) than in girls (aOR=2.8 [95% CI: 0.4-21.3]), although the BPA by sex interaction term was not significant (p=0.25).

Conclusion: We found evidence that higher urinary BPA concentrations were associated with ADHD in U.S. children; these associations were stronger in boys than in girls. Considering the widespread use of BPA and growing literature on neurobehavioral effects of BPA in children, further study is warranted to determine if reducing exposure to BPA may represent an important avenue for ADHD prevention.

Citing Articles

Endocrine Disrupting Toxicity of Bisphenol A and Its Analogs: Implications in the Neuro-Immune Milieu.

Buoso E, Masi M, Limosani R, Oliviero C, Saeed S, Iulini M J Xenobiot. 2025; 15(1.

PMID: 39846545 PMC: 11755641. DOI: 10.3390/jox15010013.

Association Between Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Exposure and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Yeo K, Lim S, Kim A, Lim Y, Lee C, Kim J Soa Chongsonyon Chongsin Uihak. 2025; 36(1):18-25.

PMID: 39811025 PMC: 11725660. DOI: 10.5765/jkacap.240035.

Does Bisphenol A (BPA) Exposure Cause Human Diseases?.

Stein T Biomedicines. 2025; 12(12.

PMID: 39767585 PMC: 11727305. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12122678.

Distinct Impacts of Prenatal and Postnatal Phthalate Exposure on Behavioral and Emotional Development in Children Aged 1.5 to 3 Years.

Huang Y, Hung P, Wang L, Tsai C, Tsai C, Tiao M Toxics. 2024; 12(11).

PMID: 39590974 PMC: 11598217. DOI: 10.3390/toxics12110795.

Hypothalamic vasopressin sex differentiation is observed by embryonic day 15 in mice and is disrupted by the xenoestrogen bisphenol A.

Zheng J, Baimoukhametova D, Lebel C, Bains J, Kurrasch D Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024; 121(21):e2313207121.

PMID: 38753512 PMC: 11126957. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313207121.

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