Prenatal exposure to aromatic amines and associations with infant cognition in the ECHO.CA.IL cohorts
8 affiliations
- 1Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
- 2Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
- 3Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY USA
- 4Department of Environmental Health Sciences, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY USA
- 5Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL USA
- 6Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL USA
- 7Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
- 8Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
Abstract
Background: Aromatic amines (AAs) are carcinogenic compounds widely used in consumer products. However, few studies have assessed exposure to AAs during pregnancy, and no human studies have examined associations between AAs and infant cognition, despite in vitro evidence of neurotoxicity.
Objective: We conducted an analysis of prenatal AA exposure and infant cognitive outcomes using a subset of the Illinois Kids Development Study and Chemicals in Our Bodies, two prospective birth cohorts that together make up ECHO.CA.IL (N = 250).
Methods: AAs, including aniline, o/m-toluidine, 4-chloroaniline, o-anisidine, 4,4’methylenedianiline, and cotinine, were measured in 2nd trimester urine samples and detected in >50% of participants. Infant cognition was assessed using a visual recognition memory (VRM) task administered using an infrared eye tracker at 7.5 months. We used linear regression to examine associations between individual natural log transformed AAs and their molar sum with VRM outcomes. We examined effect modification and interaction by child sex.
Results: A natural log unit increase in ΣAAs and the individual analyte 4,4’methylenedianiline was associated with an increase in time to reach familiarization, suggesting poorer attention (β = 7.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.97, 15.16; β = 3.95, 95% CI = -0.27, 8.17, respectively). Cotinine was associated with worsening novelty preference (β=-0.01, 95% CI = -0.02, 0), indicating poorer working memory. Aniline was associated with an increase in time to reach familiarization only among females (p-value for interaction=0.06).
Impact: This is the first epidemiologic study to evaluate prenatal exposure to aromatic amines in relation to infant cognition. We leverage biomarkers of aromatic amines exposure during pregnancy and a sensitive, eye-tracking–based visual recognition memory task at 7.5 months to capture early cognitive domains rarely assessed in environmental epidemiology. By examining individual compounds, their molar sum, and sex-specific effects within a prospective cohort, this study extends concerns about aromatic amines beyond carcinogenicity to early neurodevelopment, highlighting a previously unrecognized pathway of potential harm during a critical developmental window.
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BibTeX
@article{eick2026prenatal,
title = {{Prenatal exposure to aromatic amines and associations with infant cognition in the ECHO.CA.IL cohorts}},
author = {Stephanie M. Eick and Kaegan Ortlund and Amy M. Padula and Kurunthachalam Kannan and Andréa Aguiar and Joshua F. Robinson and Rachel Morello-Frosch and Susan L. Schantz and Tracey J. Woodruff},
journal = {Journal of Exposure Science \& Environmental Epidemiology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41370-026-00905-3},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-026-00905-3},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prenatal exposure to aromatic amines and associations with infant cognition in the ECHO.CA.IL cohorts
AU - Stephanie M. Eick
AU - Kaegan Ortlund
AU - Amy M. Padula
AU - Kurunthachalam Kannan
AU - Andréa Aguiar
AU - Joshua F. Robinson
AU - Rachel Morello-Frosch
AU - Susan L. Schantz
AU - Tracey J. Woodruff
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
DO - 10.1038/s41370-026-00905-3
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-026-00905-3
AB - Background: Aromatic amines (AAs) are carcinogenic compounds widely used in consumer products. However, few studies have assessed exposure to AAs during pregnancy, and no human studies have examined associations between AAs and infant cognition, despite in vitro evidence of neurotoxicity. Objective: We conducted an analysis of prenatal AA exposure and infant cognitive outcomes using a subset of the Illinois Kids Development Study and Chemicals in Our Bodies, two prospective birth cohorts that together make up ECHO.CA.IL (N = 250). Methods: AAs, including aniline, o/m-toluidine, 4-chloroaniline, o-anisidine, 4,4’methylenedianiline, and cotinine, were measured in 2nd trimester urine samples and detected in >50% of participants. Infant cognition was assessed using a visual recognition memory (VRM) task administered using an infrared eye tracker at 7.5 months. We used linear regression to examine associations between individual natural log transformed AAs and their molar sum with VRM outcomes. We examined effect modification and interaction by child sex. Results: A natural log unit increase in ΣAAs and the individual analyte 4,4’methylenedianiline was associated with an increase in time to reach familiarization, suggesting poorer attention (β = 7.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.97, 15.16; β = 3.95, 95% CI = -0.27, 8.17, respectively). Cotinine was associated with worsening novelty preference (β=-0.01, 95% CI = -0.02, 0), indicating poorer working memory. Aniline was associated with an increase in time to reach familiarization only among females (p-value for interaction=0.06). Impact: This is the first epidemiologic study to evaluate prenatal exposure to aromatic amines in relation to infant cognition. We leverage biomarkers of aromatic amines exposure during pregnancy and a sensitive, eye-tracking–based visual recognition memory task at 7.5 months to capture early cognitive domains rarely assessed in environmental epidemiology. By examining individual compounds, their molar sum, and sex-specific effects within a prospective cohort, this study extends concerns about aromatic amines beyond carcinogenicity to early neurodevelopment, highlighting a previously unrecognized pathway of potential harm during a critical developmental window.
SN - 1559-0631
SN - 1559-064X
ER -