Toddler behavior, the home environment, and flame retardant exposure.

Toddlers are at increased risk of dust ingestion and subsequently flame retardant (FR) exposure because they often play close to the floor and mouth hands and objects. Exposure to some FRs have been associated to endocrine disruption and neurodevelopmental disorders. Previous research has shown higher FR concentrations in toddlers' serum and urine, but which toddler-behaviors influence exposure levels remains to be determined.

Fetal toxicology.

Toxic chemicals, either from natural sources or man-made, are ubiquitous in our environment. Many of the synthetic chemicals make life more comfortable and therefore production continues to grow. Simultaneously with the increase in production, an increase in neurodevelopmental disorders has been observed.

Electronics, interior decoration and cleaning patterns affect flame retardant levels in the dust from Dutch residences.

Consumer products such as furniture foam and electronic device casings are treated with flame retardant chemicals (FRs) to prevent the spread of fire. Many FRs are able to leach out of a product and end up in house dust. FRs in house dust can be taken up by humans through inhalation, ingestion or dermal adsorption.

Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and risk of being born small for gestational age: Pooled analysis of seven European birth cohorts.

Background And Aims: There is evidence that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have developmental effects at environmental concentrations. We investigated whether some EDCs are associated with the adverse birth outcome Small for Gestational Age (SGA).

Methods: We used PCB 153, p,p'-DDE, HCB, PFOS and PFOA measured in maternal, cord blood or breast milk samples of 5446 mother-child pairs (subset of 693 for the perfluorinated compounds) from seven European birth cohorts (1997-2012).

Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and child overweight/obesity at 5-year follow-up: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), may influence offspring weight gain. More prospective epidemiological studies are needed to compliment the growing body of evidence from animal studies.

Methods: Serum from 412 pregnant Norwegian and Swedish women participating in a Scandinavian prospective cohort study were collected in 1986-88, and analyses of two perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and five organochlorines (OCs) were conducted.

Legacy and alternative halogenated flame retardants in human milk in Europe: Implications for children's health.

In this study, 10 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 19 alternative halogenated flame retardants (AFRs) were determined in >450 human milk samples across three European countries, representing northern, western and eastern Europe. This study provides first insights into the occurrence of selected AFRs in mother milk samples and compares them among three European countries. Sums of median concentrations of the most frequently detected PBDEs were 2.

Maternal obesity and attention-related symptoms in the preterm offspring.

Background: Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity, in term-born children, is associated with an increased risk of attention problems, however this relationship has not been explored among children born extremely preterm.

Aim: To estimate the risk of attention problems at age 10years in children born very preterm to overweight (i.e.

Brominated and organophosphorus flame retardants in body wipes and house dust, and an estimation of house dust hand-loadings in Dutch toddlers.

Children generally have higher Flame Retardant (FR) concentrations in serum compared to other age groups. Toddler behavior enhances direct contact with house dust since their frequent presence proximate to the floor, and their mouthing behavior. This study aimed to thoroughly investigate FR levels in body wipes of toddlers 8-18 months old) and in indoor dust using a noninvasive sampling technique.

Toddler exposure to flame retardant chemicals: Magnitude, health concern and potential risk- or protective factors of exposure: Observational studies summarized in a systematic review.

Endocrine disrupting flame retardant (FR) chemicals form a human health concern, that is investigated mostly from the perspective of adult- and early life exposure. No overview of studies on toddler exposure and health effects exist. However, toddlerhood is a critical developmental period and toddlers are at increased risk for exposure because of their age-specific behavior.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone levels in newborns and early life exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals: analysis of three European mother-child cohorts.

BackgroundVarious studies have reported interactions between thyroid hormones and early life chemical exposure. Our objective was to analyze the associations between markers of endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure and thyroid function in newborns, determined through heel prick blood spots.MethodsThree European mother-child cohorts (FLEHSI-Belgium, HUMIS-Norway, and the PCB cohort-Slovakia.

Developmental neurotoxicants in human milk: Comparison of levels and intakes in three European countries.

Developmental neurotoxicants (DNTs), such as methylmercury (MeHg), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and selected organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), have gained increasing interest recently due to their possible relation to developmental disorders in children, which are increasing worldwide. We analyzed levels of 14 developmental neurotoxicants in human milk samples from Slovakia (n=37), the Netherlands (n=120) and Norway (n=388). Positive identification for most target analytes was >95% in all samples.

An effective clean-up technique for GC/EI-HRMS determination of developmental neurotoxicants in human breast milk.

The increasing number of children suffering from developmental disorders has raised questions regarding their association with the presence of environmental contaminants in mothers and children. We therefore developed a new method for the determination of 78 proven and potential developmental neurotoxicants, including polychlorinated biphenyls, legacy pesticides, pyrethroids, and old and new halogenated flame retardants in breast milk. The essential part of sample preparation was dialysis as a non-destructive clean-up step which was newly used at 10 °C and showed more efficient lipid removal (up to 96%) than the conventional methods such as gel permeation chromatography or freezing-lipid filtration and thus ensured low limits of detection (LOD) by reducing the sample volume prior to injection.

Factors Associated with Maternal Serum Levels of Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Organochlorines: A Descriptive Study of Parous Women in Norway and Sweden.

Introduction: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and organochlorines (OCs) are ubiquitous and persistent in the environment and proposed endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). They can be transferred across the placenta during pregnancy, and studies suggest that the prenatal period may be particularly sensitive for influences on fetal growth and development. Several studies have investigated socio-demographic and pregnancy related factors associated with maternal serum PFAS and OC levels, but few studies have been conducted in time periods with increasing emissions of PFASs and recent emissions of OCs.

Maternal serum levels of perfluoroalkyl substances and organochlorines and indices of fetal growth: a Scandinavian case-cohort study.

Background: The associations between prenatal exposure to endocrine disruptive chemicals (EDCs) and fetal growth are inconsistent, and few studies have considered small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth as an outcome. Our current study of Scandinavian parous women aimed to address these inconsistencies and gaps in the literature.

Methods: This case-cohort study included 424 mother-child pairs who participated in a prospective, multi-center study of parous women in Norway (Trondheim and Bergen) and Sweden (Uppsala).

Species-Specific Associations Between Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Micronutrients in Vietnamese Schoolchildren.

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections and micronutrient deficiencies are closely related and often coexist among low-income populations. We studied the association between infections with specific STH species and micronutrient status in rural Vietnamese schoolchildren. Children (N = 510) aged 6-9 years were recruited from two primary schools.

Prenatal Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Behavioral Development in Children.

Background: In recent years, prevalence rates of behavioral disorders in children have increased. One factor possibly implied in the etiology of behavioral disorders is exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). The use of PFASs is highly integrated into everyday life, and exposure is ubiquitous.

LInking EDCs in maternal Nutrition to Child health (LINC study) - protocol for prospective cohort to study early life exposure to environmental chemicals and child health.

Background: The presence of chemicals in the environment is ubiquitous. Human biomonitoring studies have shown that various chemicals can be detected in the majority of the population, including pregnant women. These compounds may pass the placenta, and reach the fetus.

Children's exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) through mouthing toys.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have previously been detected in children toys, yet the risk of child exposure to these chemicals through the mouthing of toys or other items is still unknown. We aimed to expand on the current knowledge by investigating the impact of infants' mouthing activities on exposure to PBDEs present in toys. This was established by a leaching model for determining the amount PBDEs that can leach from toys into saliva in simulated conditions.

Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and birth weight-A prospective cohort study.

Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals may affect fetal development through disruption of hormonal actions and epigenetic modifications, potentially predisposing individuals to later on-set health risks, such as obesity. The objective of this study was to determine associations between biological exposure markers of various endocrine disrupting chemicals and birth weight in a newly established, prospective mother-child cohort in the Netherlands. Birth weight (n = 91) was obtained from birth records, and exposure to dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), three di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites, polychlorinated biphenyl-153, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was determined in cord plasma.

Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in relation to thyroid hormone levels in infants - a Dutch prospective cohort study.

Background: Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) present in the environment may disrupt thyroid hormones, which in early life are essential for brain development. Observational studies regarding this topic are still limited, however as the presence of chemicals in the environment is ubiquitous, further research is warranted. The objective of the current study was to assess the association between exposure markers of various EDCs and thyroxine (T4) levels in newborns in a mother-child cohort in the Netherlands.

First year growth in relation to prenatal exposure to endocrine disruptors - a Dutch prospective cohort study.

Growth in the first year of life may already be predictive of obesity later in childhood. The objective was to assess the association between prenatal exposure to various endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and child growth during the first year. Dichloro-diphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl)phthalate (MECPP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl)phthalate (MEHHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl)phthalate (MEOHP), polychlorinated biphenyl-153, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and perfluoro-octanoic acid were measured in cord plasma or breast milk.

Obesogenic effects of endocrine disruptors, what do we know from animal and human studies?

Background: Hormonal actions and activation of receptors involved in adipogenesis and brain development during the prenatal period may be affected by exposure to certain chemicals. Experimental studies have shown that amongst others polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-153 and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) may have obesogenic effects in prenatally exposed mice.

Objective: To provide an overview of five classes of chemicals which have frequently been indicated as potential obesogens, and to discuss the evidence available regarding early life exposure to these compounds and overweight later in life.

Helminth infections and micronutrients in school-age children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Helminth infections and micronutrient deficiencies are highly prevalent in developing countries. Neither condition typically causes overt disease, but they do lead to indirect morbidity such as impaired physical and cognitive development.

Objective: We aimed to systematically review current evidence on the relation of helminth infections with micronutrient status in school-age children worldwide.

The ethics and practice of neonatal resuscitation at the limits of viability: an international perspective.

Unlabelled: Premature infants at the limits of viability raise difficult ethical, legal, social and economic questions. Neonatologists attending an international Collegium were surveyed about delivery room behaviour, and the approach taken by selected countries practicing 'modern' medicine was explored.

Conclusion: There were strong preferences for comfort care at 22 weeks and full resuscitation at 24 weeks.