Determinants of Chronic Biological Stress, Measured as Hair Cortisol Concentration, in a General Population of Adolescents: From Individual and Household Characteristics to Neighborhood Urbanicity.

Chronic biological stress may adversely affect adolescents' physical and mental health, but insight in the personal and environmental factors that determine chronic stress is limited. We measured 3-month cumulative hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in 419 adolescents, participating in the Flemish Environment and Health Study. Adolescents' health and lifestyle characteristics, household and neighborhood socio-economic status as well as neighborhood urbanicity were assessed as potential determinants of HCC, using multiple linear regression models.

Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites Are Associated with Biomarkers of Chronic Endocrine Stress, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Adolescents: FLEHS-4 (2016-2020).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental pollutants of public health concern. Multiple biological mechanisms have been hypothesized to contribute to PAHs-associated adverse health effects. Little is known about the impact of PAHs on endocrine stress and inflammation in adolescence.

Long-term residential exposure to air pollution is associated with hair cortisol concentration and differential leucocyte count in Flemish adolescent boys.

Background: Exposure to air pollution and traffic noise are associated with adverse health outcomes in adolescents. Chronic endocrine stress and systemic inflammation have been hypothesized to underlie the adverse health effects. Simultaneous assessment of inflammation and chronic endocrine stress in epidemiological studies is lacking.

Intelligence gain and social cost savings attributable to environmental lead exposure reduction strategies since the year 2000 in Flanders, Belgium.

Background: Recent lead (Pb) exposure reduction strategies enabled to lower children's blood lead levels (B-Pb) worldwide. This study reports the estimated intelligence gain and social cost savings attributable to recent exposure reduction based on reported B-Pb levels observed in adolescents sampled within the framework of the Flemish Environment and Health Studies (FLEHS, Belgium), i.e.

Airway oxidative stress and inflammation markers in exhaled breath from children are linked with exposure to black carbon.

Background: The current study aimed at assessing the associations between black carbon (BC) exposure and markers for airway inflammation and oxidative stress in primary school children in a Western European urban area.

Methods: In 130 children aged 6-12 years old, the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH, 8-isoprostane and interleukin (IL)-1β were measured in two seasons. BC concentrations on the sampling day (2-h average, 8:00-10:00 AM) and on the day before (24-h average) were assessed using measurements at a central monitoring site.