The Sound of Silence: Unspoken Meaning in the Discourse of Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women on Environmental Risks and Food Safety in Spain.

(1) Background: In recent years, a growing number of qualitative health research studies have performed discourse analysis of data from participants' narratives. However, little attention has been paid to the gaps and silences within these narratives. The aim of the present study is to interpret the silences detected in the discourse of pregnant and breastfeeding women concerning environmental risks and food safety.

Perception and Demands of Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women Regarding Their Role as Participants in Environmental Research Studies.

A significant proportion of scientific studies consider pregnant and breastfeeding women as vulnerable subjects. The objective of this study was to analyse the perception of pregnant and breastfeeding women regarding their participation in environmental research studies. Our work is a descriptive and interpretative observational study that has been developed under the qualitative research paradigm following a phenomenological and ethnographic perspective.

Adverse effects of hexaclorobenzene exposure in children and adolescents.

Background: Hexachlorobenzene (HCB: C₆Cl₆) is a persistent, bioaccumulative chemical formerly used worldwide in pesticide mixtures but also produced as a by-product in the chemical and metallurgical industry. Despite current international restrictions in the use and production of HCB, the majority of the general population still show detectable levels of HCB, which raises concerns on the potential health implications of the exposure.

Objective: To compile and synthesize the available scientific evidence regarding the adverse effects of exposure to HCB in children and adolescents.