A 6-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF BEHAVIOR AND ACTIVITY DISORDERS IN THE TAIWAN YU-CHENG CHILDREN

Objectives. The relationship of behavior and activity levels to the in terval between outbreak and year of birth and to age of the children i s explored in Taiwanese children exposed in utero to heat-degraded pol ychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)-the Yu-cheng children. Additionally, the relationship of the scores to chemical, physical, and cognitive findi ngs is described. Methods. With Rutter's Child Behavior Scale A and a modified Werry-Weiss-Peters Activity Scale, 118 Yu-cheng children and matched controls were followed biannually from 1985 to 1991. Results. At each year, the Yu-cheng children scored 7% to 43% worse (mean = 23% ) than control children on the Rutter scale. At any fixed age, the Yu- cheng children scored 11% to 63% (mean = 28%) worse. The effect for ch ildren born later did not differ from that for those born earlier; nei ther was there any improvement as the children aged. A similar but wea ker picture was seen for the activity score. These behavioral findings were not related to physical or cognitive findings or to serum PCB le vels. Conclusions. Inutero exposure to heat-degraded PCBs appears to c ause mildly disordered behavior and increased activity level; the effe ct persists over time and is similar in children born up to 6 years af ter the mothers were exposed.