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2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in breast milk increases autistic traits of 3-year-old children in Vietnam

Molecular Psychiatry volume 19, pages 1220–1226 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Dioxin levels in the breast milk of mothers residing near a contaminated former airbase in Vietnam remain much higher than in unsprayed areas, suggesting high perinatal dioxin exposure for their infants. The present study investigated the association of perinatal dioxin exposure with autistic traits in 153 3-year-old children living in a contaminated area in Vietnam. The children were followed up from birth using the neurodevelopmental battery Bayley-III. The high-2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposed groups (⩾3.5 pg per g fat) showed significantly higher Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS) scores for both boys and girls than the mild-TCDD exposed groups, without differences in neurodevelopmental scores. In contrast, the high total dioxin-exposed group, indicated by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDDs/Fs)—the toxic equivalents (TEQ) levels⩾17.9 pg-TEQ per g fat, had significantly lower neurodevelopmental scores than the mild-exposed group in boys, but there was no difference in the ASRS scores. The present study demonstrates a specific impact of perinatal TCDD on autistic traits in childhood, which is different from the neurotoxicity of total dioxins (PCDDs/Fs).

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Acknowledgements

We thank the medical staffs in the Health Department of Da Nang city, Thanh Khe and Son Tra district hospitals and 17 commune health centers of Thanh Khe and Son Tra districts for their enthusiastic collaborations. This work was supported by the JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) Asian Core Program and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (25305024) and (25290005)). None of the founders had role in the study design, sample collection, analysis, interpretation of data, writing the report or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan

    M Nishijo, A T N Nguyen, N N Tran & H Nakagawa

  2. Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research Center, Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha Noi, Vietnam

    T T Pham, L V Hoang, A H Tran, M N Nguyen & H M Nguyen

  3. School of Nursing, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan

    Y Morikawa

  4. Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan

    M D Ho & T Kido

  5. System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan

    M N Nguyen, H M Nguyen & H Nishijo

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Nishijo, M., Pham, T., Nguyen, A. et al. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in breast milk increases autistic traits of 3-year-old children in Vietnam. Mol Psychiatry 19, 1220–1226 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2014.18

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