. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Nov 19.

Published in final edited form as: Nature. 2015 Nov 19;527(7578):S187–S192. doi: 10.1038/nature16034

Table 2.

Organic compounds and exposure-related outcomes

Organic compound	Source of exposure	Susceptibility window	Neurological outcomes	Proposed mechanisms
Bisphenol A^85,86	Food from cans with linings that contain BPA, and contaminated food and water	Prenatal and childhood	Anxious behaviour, hyperactivity and depressive behaviour, and learning impairment in children	Unclear but females seem to be more susceptible
Phthalates^86–88	Food or drink that has been in contact with containers or products containing phthalates, and air and dust containing phthalates	Prenatal and childhood	Depressive and conduct-related behaviours (ODD, attention problems, rule-breaking and aggressive behaviour in children)	Oxidative stress
Organophosphates^89,90	Contaminated food and water, polluted air and professional dermal contact	Lifelong	Neurodevelopmental deficits, impaired attention and working memory, impaired speed and executive functions, and delayed peripheral polyneuropathy	Inhibition of acetyl-cholinesterase
Organochlorinated compounds (DDT/PCBs)⁹¹	Contaminated food, drinking water and air	Prenatal and lifelong	Impaired intellectual ability, ADHD- like behaviours and locomotor deficits	Disruption of neurotransmitter function, oxidative stress or derangement of calcium homeostasis. Children seem to be more susceptible.
Organobromide compounds (PBDEs)^92,93	Contaminated food, water and air	Lifelong	IQ deficits, impaired attention, fine motor coordination and cognition functioning in children	Impairment of thyroid hormone homeostasis
Organic solvents^94,95	Air and professional dermal contact and glue sniffing	Adolescents and adults	Headache, memory deficits, and central and peripheral neuropathy	Protein adduction or oxidative stress misfolding
Food-born neurotoxicants (cassava cyanogenic glucosides and BOAA in Lathyrus sativus)^96–98 or contaminants (fungal toxins)	Oral ingestion	Lifelong	Spastic paraparesis, cognition deficits and epilepsy	Oxidative stress, excitotoxicity and protein carbamylation for cassava cyanogens. Children and females seem to be more susceptible. Malnutrition is acknowledged as an aggravating factor

ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; BOAA, beta-(N)-oxalyl-amino-L-alanine acid; BPA, bisphenol A; DDT/PCBs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane/polychlorinated biphenols; ODD, oppositional defiant disorder.