Environmental research
-
Environmental research · Nov 2017
Review Meta AnalysisThe impact of prenatal exposure to air pollution on childhood wheezing and asthma: A systematic review.
There has been no clear consensus about whether prenatal exposure to air pollution contributes to the development of wheezing and asthma in children. We conducted a systematic review to analyze the association between exposure to different pollutants during pregnancy and the development of childhood wheezing and asthma. ⋯ The overall and subgroup risk estimates from the meta-analyses showed statistically significant associations between prenatal exposures to NO2, SO2, and PM10 and the risk of wheezing and asthma development in childhood. There is insufficient evidence to show an effect of prenatal exposure to BC, CO, and O3 on childhood wheezing and asthma. Further studies are needed to examine the individual compounds' effects.
-
Environmental research · Nov 2017
Phthalate and bisphenol A exposure during in utero windows of susceptibility in relation to reproductive hormones and pubertal development in girls.
Over the past several decades, the age of pubertal onset in girls has shifted downward worldwide. As early pubertal onset is associated with increased risky behavior and psychological issues during adolescence and cardiometabolic disease and cancer in adulthood, this is an important public health concern. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals during critical windows of in utero development may play a role in this trend. Our objective was to investigate trimester-specific phthalate and BPA exposure in relation to pubertal development among girls in the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohort. ⋯ These findings suggest that female reproductive development may be more vulnerable to the effects of phthalate or BPA exposure during specific critical periods of in utero development. This highlights the need for comprehensive characterizations of in utero exposure and consideration of windows of susceptibility in developmental epidemiological studies. Future research should consider repeated measures of in utero phthalate and BPA exposure within each trimester and across pregnancy.
-
Environmental research · Oct 2017
Prenatal particulate air pollution exposure and body composition in urban preschool children: Examining sensitive windows and sex-specific associations.
Evolving animal studies and limited epidemiological data show that prenatal air pollution exposure is associated with childhood obesity. Timing of exposure and child sex may play an important role in these associations. We applied an innovative method to examine sex-specific sensitive prenatal windows of exposure to PM2.5 on anthropometric measures in preschool-aged children. ⋯ Increased prenatal PM2.5 exposure was more strongly associated with indices of increased whole body size in boys and with an indicator of body shape in girls. Methods to better characterize vulnerable windows may provide insight into underlying mechanisms contributing to sex-specific associations.
-
Environmental research · Oct 2017
The association between the incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer and concentrations at street-level of nitrogen dioxide and ultrafine particles.
There is scant information as to whether traffic-related air pollution is associated with the incidence of breast cancer. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ultrafine particles (UFPs, <0.1µm), are two pollutants that capture intra-urban variations in traffic-related air pollution and may also be associated with incidence. ⋯ Our findings suggest that exposure to ambient NO2 and UFPs may increase the risk of incident postmenopausal breast cancer especially amongst cases with positive oestrogen and progesterone receptor status.
-
Environmental research · Jul 2017
ReviewReview of take-home pesticide exposure pathway in children living in agricultural areas.
Children of farmworkers may be chronically exposed to pesticides via the take-home exposure pathway. ⋯ The evidence presented here raises concerns regarding health effects associated with exposure to pesticides in children living in agricultural communities, and indicates that strategies should be developed to reduce exposures in these populations.