%0 Journal Article %J Environ Health %D 2017 %T Cross-sectional study of social behaviors in preschool children and exposure to flame retardants. %A Shannon T Lipscomb %A Megan McClelland %A MacDonald, Megan %A Cardenas, Andres %A Kim A Anderson %A Molly Kile %K Child, Preschool %K Environmental Exposure %K Environmental Pollutants %K Female %K Flame Retardants %K Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers %K Humans %K Male %K Organophosphates %K Social Behavior %X

BACKGROUND: Children are exposed to flame retardants from the built environment. Brominated diphenyl ethers (BDE) and organophosphate-based flame retardants (OPFRs) are associated with poorer neurocognitive functioning in children. Less is known, however, about the association between these classes of compounds and children's emotional and social behaviors. The objective of this study was to determine if flame retardant exposure was associated with measurable differences in social behaviors among children ages 3-5 years.

METHODS: We examined teacher-rated social behaviors measured using the Social Skills Improvement Rating Scale (SSIS) and personal exposure to flame retardants in children aged 3-5 years who attended preschool (n = 72). Silicone passive samplers worn for 7 days were used to assess personal exposure to 41 compounds using gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometer. These concentrations were then summed into total BDE and total OPFR exposure prior to natural log transformation. Separate generalized additive models were used to evaluate the relationship between seven subscales of the SSIS and lnΣBDE or lnΣOPFR adjusting for other age, sex, adverse social experiences, and family context.

RESULTS: All children were exposed to a mixture of flame retardant compounds. We observed a dose dependent relationship between lnΣOPFR and two subscales where children with higher exposures were rated by their preschool teachers as having less responsible behavior (p = 0.07) and more externalizing behavior problems (p = 0.03). Additionally, children with higher lnΣBDE exposure were rated by teachers as less assertive (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS: We observed a cross-sectional association between children's exposure to flame retardant compounds and teacher-rated social behaviors among preschool-aged children. Children with higher flame retardant exposures exhibited poorer social skills in three domains that play an important role in a child's ability to succeed academically and socially.

%B Environ Health %V 16 %P 23 %8 2017 03 09 %G eng %N 1 %R 10.1186/s12940-017-0224-6 %0 Journal Article %J Res Q Exerc Sport %D 2016 %T Relations of Preschoolers' Visual-Motor and Object Manipulation Skills With Executive Function and Social Behavior. %A MacDonald, Megan %A Shannon T Lipscomb %A Megan McClelland %A Duncan, Rob %A Becker, Derek %A Kim A Anderson %A Molly Kile %X

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article was to examine specific linkages between early visual-motor integration skills and executive function, as well as between early object manipulation skills and social behaviors in the classroom during the preschool year.

METHOD: Ninety-two children aged 3 to 5 years old (Mage = 4.31 years) were recruited to participate. Comprehensive measures of visual-motor integration skills, object manipulation skills, executive function, and social behaviors were administered in the fall and spring of the preschool year.

RESULTS: Our findings indicated that children who had better visual-motor integration skills in the fall had better executive function scores (B = 0.47 [0.20], p < .05, β = .27) in the spring of the preschool year after controlling for age, gender, Head Start status, and site location, but not after controlling for children's baseline levels of executive function. In addition, children who demonstrated better object manipulation skills in the fall showed significantly stronger social behavior in their classrooms (as rated by teachers) in the spring, including more self-control (B - 0.03 [0.00], p < .05, β = .40), more cooperation (B = 0.02 [0.01], p < .05, β = .28), and less externalizing/hyperactivity (B = - 0.02 [0.01], p < .05, β = - .28) after controlling for social behavior in the fall and other covariates.

CONCLUSION: Children's visual-motor integration and object manipulation skills in the fall have modest to moderate relations with executive function and social behaviors later in the preschool year. These findings have implications for early learning initiatives and school readiness.

%B Res Q Exerc Sport %V 87 %P 396-407 %8 12/2016 %G eng %N 4 %R 10.1080/02701367.2016.1229862 %0 Journal Article %J Environ Res %D 2016 %T Using silicone wristbands to evaluate preschool children's exposure to flame retardants. %A Molly Kile %A Richard P Scott %A Steven G O'Connell %A Shannon T Lipscomb %A MacDonald, Megan %A Megan McClelland %A Kim A Anderson %X

Silicone wristbands can be used as passive sampling tools for measuring personal environmental exposure to organic compounds. Due to the lightweight and simple design, the wristband may be a useful technique for measuring children's exposure. In this study, we tested the stability of flame retardant compounds in silicone wristbands and developed an analytical approach for measuring 41 flame retardants in the silicone wristband in order to evaluate exposure to these compounds in preschool-aged children. To evaluate the robustness of using wristbands to measure flame retardants, we evaluated the stability of 3 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs), and 2 organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in wristbands over 84 days and did not find any evidence of significant loss over time at either 4 or -20°C (p>0.16). We recruited a cohort of 92 preschool aged children in Oregon to wear the wristband for 7 days in order to characterize children's acceptance of the technology, and to characterize their exposure to flame retardants. Seventy-seven parents returned the wristbands for analysis of 35 BDEs, 4 OPFRs, and 2 other brominated flame retardants although 5 were excluded from the exposure assessment due to protocol deviations (n=72). A total of 20 compounds were detected above the limit of quantitation, and 11 compounds including 4 OPFRs and 7 BDEs were detected in over 60% of the samples. Children's gender, age, race, recruitment site, and family context were not significantly associated with returning wristbands or compliance with protocols. Comparisons between flame retardant data and socio-demographic information revealed significant differences in total exposures to both ΣBDEs and ΣOPFRs based on age of house, vacuuming frequency, and family context. These results demonstrate that preschool children in Oregon are exposed to BDEs that are no longer being produced in the United States and to OPFRs that have been used as an alternative to polybrominated compounds. Silicone wristbands were well tolerated by young children and were useful for characterizing personal exposure to flame retardants that were not bound to particulate matter.

%B Environ Res %V 147 %P 365-72 %8 05/2016 %G eng %R 10.1016/j.envres.2016.02.034 %0 Audiovisual Material %D 2015 %T Passive wristband sampler technology used to build bridges: Three Pilot Studies %A Kim A Anderson %A Laurel D Kincl %A Richard P Scott %A Steven G O'Connell %A Carey E Donald %A Molly Kile %A Shannon T Lipscomb %A MacDonald, Megan %A Megan McClelland %B EHSC National Mtg. Tucson, AZ %8 04/2015 %G eng