A Call for Pediatric Clinicians to Address Environmental Health Concerns in Rural Settings.

Children in rural communities encounter unique environmental exposures, many of which can result in negative long-term health consequences. Children are particularly at risk from these exposures due to their close interaction with the environment and developing physiology. The authors describe 3 rural environmental hazards: wood stove smoke, well water contaminants, and agricultural pollutants.

The Folic Acid and Creatine Trial: Treatment Effects of Supplementation on Arsenic Methylation Indices and Metabolite Concentrations in Blood in a Bangladeshi Population.

Background: Chronic arsenic (As) exposure is a global environmental health issue. Inorganic As (InAs) undergoes methylation to monomethyl (MMAs) and dimethyl-arsenical species (DMAs); full methylation to DMAs facilitates urinary excretion and is associated with reduced risk for As-related health outcomes. Nutritional factors, including folate and creatine, influence one-carbon metabolism, the biochemical pathway that provides methyl groups for As methylation.