Environmental Toxins and Essential Trace Elements at Delivery and ADHD

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), phthalates, manganese and selenium are ubiquitous in the environment and humans and influence fetal growth and development. Register and biobank based case-control studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between prenatal exposure to these chemicals and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood. The study base comprised children born in Malmö, Sweden, between 1978 and 2000 that were followed up until 2005. Children with ADHD (n=206) were identified at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Malmö. Controls (n=206) were selected from the study base and were matched for year of birth and maternal country of origin. Concentrations of PFCs, phthalates, manganese, and selenium were measured in umbilical cord serum samples collected from a maternity unit biobank in Malmö. No associations between prenatal exposure to PFCs, phthalates, and manganese and ADHD in childhood were found. Selenium, which was hypothesized to protect against ADHD, was found to be positively associated with ADHD diagnosis in childhood. These findings need to be replicated in other larger studies before definitive conclusions can be drawn