As, Cd, Hg, and Pb Biological Concentrations and Anthropometry in Slovak Adolescents.

Anthropometry provides a non-invasive technique for evaluating growth and obesity and serves as an indicator of health status. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the association of internal arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and lead (Pb) exposure with anthropometric parameters, including obesity, in adolescents. Participants (N = 320) were children aged 10-14 years (mean 11.

Factors affecting the polychlorinated biphenyl signatures in serum of adults living in a highly polluted area in eastern Slovakia.

Introduction: Over the years eastern Slovakia has been subject to consistent monitoring of high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in both the environment and human populations attributed to the former production of PCBs at the Chemko Strážske plant. We aimed to investigate the extent to which dietary habits and residential location could affect the concentrations of PCBs in the blood serum samples of subjects.

Methods: We enrolled 602 adult subjects from eastern Slovakia with an average age of 45.

Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014-2021).

As one of the core elements of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey was conducted in 23 countries to generate EU-wide comparable HBM data. This survey has built on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies, referred to as the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies included a total of 10,795 participants of three age groups: (i) 3,576 children aged 6-12 years, (ii) 3,117 teenagers aged 12-18 years and (iii) 4,102 young adults aged 20-39 years.

The Joint Effect of Perceived Psychosocial Stress and Phthalate Exposure on Hormonal Concentrations during the Early Stage of Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Phthalates alter the hormonal balance in humans during pregnancy, potentially affecting embryonic and fetal development. We studied the joint effect of exposure to phthalates, quantified by urinary phthalate metabolite concentration, and perceived psychological stress on the concentration of hormones in pregnant women ( = 90) from the Nitra region, Slovakia, up to the 15th week of pregnancy. We used high-performance liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), and electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay to determine urinary concentrations of phthalates and serum concentrations of hormones, respectively.

Gene expression signatures in PCB-exposed Slovak children in relation to their environmental exposures and socio-physical characteristics.

Our previous gene expression studies in a PCB-exposed cohort of young children in Slovakia revealed that early-life exposures to PCBs and other organochlorine compounds were associated with significant alterations across several pathogenetic pathways. The present study was undertaken to further explore the high-throughput qRT-PCR-based gene expression effects by using TaqMan low-density array (TLDA) for selected genes in a sample of 55 children from the cohort. We analyzed the transcriptional changes of 11 genes in relation to PCB and organochlorine pesticide exposure levels (including DDT, DDE, HCH, and HCB), and to BMI and ethnicity in this cohort.

Application of a pharmacokinetic model in characterizing sources of polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and determining threshold daily intakes for adverse health effects in infants and toddlers.

Characterization of PCB exposure sources for vulnerable population groups is essential to minimize the health effects of PCB exposure. At the same time, it is important to consolidate the knowledge on threshold intakes of PCBs for infants and toddlers to prevent health effects. We estimated total PCB concentrations from birth to 2 years of age in children from Slovak and Czech populations, which continue to have high PCB concentrations in breast milk.

Risk of Abdominal Obesity Associated with Phthalate Exposure of Nurses.

Background: Occupational health hazards associated with phthalate exposure among nurses are still not well understood. Methods: We used high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to analyze phthalates. Anthropometric measurements and questionnaires were conducted.

Pre- and postnatal polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and cognitive and behavioral development at age 45 Months in a cohort of Slovak children.

Evidence of associations of pre- and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with cognitive development beyond early childhood is inconsistent. A previous report from this cohort observed adverse associations between early life PCB exposures and infant Bayley scores at age 16 months. The present study examines pre- and postnatal PCB exposures in relation to both behavior and cognitive development at age 45 months.

Targeted and suspect screening of plasticizers in house dust to assess cumulative human exposure risk.

Indoor dust is an important exposure route to anthropogenic chemicals used in consumer products. Plasticizers are common product additives and can easily leach out of the product and partition to dust. Investigations of plasticizers typically focus on a subset of phthalate esters (PEs), but there are many more PEs in use, and alternative plasticizers (APs) are seeing greater use after recognition of adverse health effects of PEs.

Biomarkers of metabolic disorders and neurobehavioral diseases in a PCB- exposed population: What we learned and the implications for future research.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the original twelve classes of toxic chemicals covered by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), an international environmental treaty signed in 2001. PCBs are present in the environment as mixtures of multiple isomers at different degree of chlorination. These compounds are manmade and possess useful industrial properties including extreme longevity under harsh conditions, heat absorbance, and the ability to form an oily liquid at room temperature that is useful for electrical utilities and in other industrial applications.

Occupational Hazards and Risks Associated with Phthalates among Slovakian Firefighters.

Despite increasing attention to the occupational risk of firefighters, little is known about phthalate exposure. In our study, we detected mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-n-buthyl phthalate (MnBP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (5OH-MEHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (5cx-MECPP), and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (5oxo-MEHP) in each urine sample. We detected positive association between MnBP, MiBP, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), 5OH-MEHP, 5oxo-MEHP, 5cx-MECPP, mono-isononyl phthalate (MiNP), the sum of low (∑LMWP) and high molecular-weight phthalates (∑HMWP).

Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Adverse Maternal and Infant Outcomes.

Importance: Both low and high gestational weight gain have been associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes, but optimal gestational weight gain remains uncertain and not well defined for all prepregnancy weight ranges.

Objectives: To examine the association of ranges of gestational weight gain with risk of adverse maternal and infant outcomes and estimate optimal gestational weight gain ranges across prepregnancy body mass index categories.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Individual participant-level meta-analysis using data from 196 670 participants within 25 cohort studies from Europe and North America (main study sample).

Linking past uses of legacy SVOCs with today's indoor levels and human exposure.

Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) emitted from consumer products, building materials, and indoor and outdoor activities can be highly persistent in indoor environments. Human exposure to and environmental contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was previously reported in a region near a former PCB production facility in Slovakia. However, we found that the indoor residential PCB levels did not correlate with the distance from the facility.

Impact of maternal body mass index and gestational weight gain on pregnancy complications: an individual participant data meta-analysis of European, North American and Australian cohorts.

Objective: To assess the separate and combined associations of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain with the risks of pregnancy complications and their population impact.

Design: Individual participant data meta-analysis of 39 cohorts.

Setting: Europe, North America, and Oceania.

Environmental ototoxicants, a potential new class of chemical stressors.

Hearing loss is an injury that can develop over time, and people may not even be aware of it until it becomes a severe disability. Ototoxicants are substances that may damage the inner ear by either affecting the structures in the ear itself or by affecting the nervous system. We have examined the possibility that ototoxicants may present a health hazard in association with environmental exposures, adding to existing knowledge of their proven hazards under medical therapeutic conditions or occupational activities.

Prenatal and Early Postnatal Exposure to Total Mercury and Methylmercury from Low Maternal Fish Consumption.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of low fish consumption on prenatal and early postnatal exposure to mercury species. The samples of umbilical cord blood and maternal milk as well as interviewer-administered questionnaires were collected from 142 Slovak mother-child pairs. The mean total mercury (THg) concentrations in cord blood and milk were 0.

Determinants of prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances in the Slovak birth cohort.

Background: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made fluorinated compounds with endocrine-disrupting properties, detected in 99% of serum samples worldwide and associated with adverse childhood health outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe determinants of prenatal exposure to PFASs in Slovakia.

Methods: This study was based on Slovak multicentric prospective mother-child cohort PRENATAL (N = 796).

Gestational weight gain charts for different body mass index groups for women in Europe, North America, and Oceania.

Background: Gestational weight gain differs according to pre-pregnancy body mass index and is related to the risks of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. Gestational weight gain charts for women in different pre-pregnancy body mass index groups enable identification of women and offspring at risk for adverse health outcomes. We aimed to construct gestational weight gain reference charts for underweight, normal weight, overweight, and grades 1, 2 and 3 obese women and to compare these charts with those obtained in women with uncomplicated term pregnancies.

The spatial distribution of congener-specific human PCB concentrations in a PCB-polluted region.

Serum PCB congener concentrations were measured in 602 adults living near a PCB pollution source in eastern Slovakia. We created isoconcentration maps for 21 PCB congeners by geocoding each participant's place of residence and kriging. Concentrations of PCB congeners were inversely associated with the distance of the participants' residence from the source of pollution.

Prenatal and postnatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder: a pooled analysis of seven European birth cohort studies.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is increasing worldwide for reasons largely unknown and environmental chemicals with neurotoxic properties, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have been proposed to play a role. We investigated the association between prenatal and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl-153 (PCB-153), p-p´-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p-p'-DDE) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and ADHD in childhood.

Methods: We pooled seven European birth cohort studies encompassing 4437 mother-child pairs from the general population with concentrations of PCB-153, p-p´-DDE and HCB measured in cord blood, maternal blood or milk.

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).

PCB exposure and potential future cancer incidence in Slovak children: an assessment from molecular finger printing by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA®) derived from experimental and epidemiological investigations.

The risk of cancer due to PCB exposure in humans is highly debated. In eastern Slovakia, high exposure of the population to organochlorines (especially PCBs) was associated with various disease and disorder pathways, viz., endocrine disruption, metabolic disorder & diabetes, and cancer, thereby disturbing several cellular processes, including protein synthesis, stress response, and apoptosis.

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.

Partitioning of hexachlorobenzene between human milk and blood lipid.

In epidemiological studies on the toxic effects of prenatal exposure to hexachlorobenzene (HCB), researchers report HCB concentrations, either as wet-weight or per lipid weight basis, in matrices like breast milk, and maternal and cord blood. Conversion of exposures across matrices is needed for comparisons of concentrations and dose effect across cohorts. Using data from a birth cohort study in eastern Slovakia, we derived the maternal blood to cord blood HCB concentration ratio utilizing measured concentrations in 1027 paired maternal and cord blood samples, on a per-lipid basis.