Overview

• Analysis of over 500 families in the UC Davis CHARGE Study used industrial hygienist assessments of parental job histories from three months before pregnancy through birth to estimate exposure to 16 workplace chemicals.
• Exposure to plastics and polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC was associated with poorer cognitive performance, reduced adaptive skills and higher rates of hyperactivity and social withdrawal.
• Parental contact with ethylene oxide correlated with elevated ADOS-2 autism severity scores and weaker daily living skills, while phenol exposure linked to increased severity and repetitive behaviors.
• Authors caution that reliance on self-reported job histories, expert-judged exposure estimates and a limited sample size for rare agents means the findings do not establish causation.
• Researchers are urging broader, father-inclusive studies and considering revisions to occupational health guidelines to protect future children’s neurodevelopment.