# Childrens flame retardant exposures measured by passive wristbands: Sex specific associations, social adversity, and socio-cognitive development

> **NIH NIH R01** · OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $661,942

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Children living in the United States are frequently exposed to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) and
organophosphate-based compounds (OPFRs) that are used as flame retardants in consumer goods. While the
effects of BDE exposure on children’s neuro-cognitive and behavioral development has been studied, there is a
lack of data on the developmental effects of OPFR exposure. Yet, toxicological data suggests that OPFRs may be
more neurotoxic than BDEs. Animal models also show that social experiences have the potential to attenuate or
buffer the effects of neurotoxic chemicals on neuro-cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Therefore, we propose
a new interdisciplinary study that will improve our understanding of children’s exposures to flame retardant
compounds, as well as, examine the interplay between flame retardants and adverse social experiences on
children’s neuro-cognitive, executive functioning, and behavioral development. We propose to recruit 600
children aged 4-8 years as they enter preschool and follow them for 3 years until they graduate from first grade.
The development that occurs during this time period is sizeable and corresponds with neural development
associated with self-regulation of attention, emotion, and behavior. We will conduct repeated measurements
during this follow up period to accomplish the following aims: (1) assess exposure to OPFRs and BDE among
a diverse group of children to improve our understanding of factors that contribute to inter- and intra-
individual variability, (2) examine the exposure-response relationship between OPFRs and children’s
development between ages 4-8 years, and examine the potential for sex to modify these associations, and (3)
examine the moderating influences of social stressors on the association between flame retardant exposures
and children’s development. These aims all revolve around a central hypothesis that children with higher
exposure to OPFRs and/or BDEs and will show lower neuro-cognitive, social, and behavioral skills. Completion
of the proposed research is expected to provide new data on the human effects associated with flame retardant
chemicals that are commonly found in the indoor environment. This data can be used to inform multi-pronged
public health interventions that would ultimately improve children’s health and development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10186746
- **Project number:** 5R01ES029497-03
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Molly L Kile
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $661,942
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10186746

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10186746, Childrens flame retardant exposures measured by passive wristbands: Sex specific associations, social adversity, and socio-cognitive development (5R01ES029497-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10186746. Licensed CC0.

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