A cluster randomised trial of cookstove interventions to improve infant health in Ghana.

Introduction: Household air pollution from solid fuel combustion for cooking and heating is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. We hypothesised that clean cooking interventions delivered during pregnancy would improve child health.

Methods: We conducted a cluster randomised trial in rural Ghana to test whether providing pregnant women liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstoves or improved biomass cookstoves would reduce personal carbon monoxide and fine particulate pollution exposure, increase birth weight and reduce physician-assessed severe pneumonia in the first 12 months of life, compared with control participants who continued to cook with traditional stoves.

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides and the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and size at birth in urban pregnant women.

Background: Organophosphate insecticides and the herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) are used to protect crops or control weeds. Pyrethroids are used to manage pests both in agriculture and in residences, and to reduce the transmission of insect-borne diseases. Several studies have reported inverse associations between exposure to organophosphates (as a larger class) and birth outcomes but these associations have not been conclusive for pyrethroids or 2,4-D, specifically.

Neurotoxicity of Ortho-Phthalates: Recommendations for Critical Policy Reforms to Protect Brain Development in Children.

Robust data from longitudinal birth cohort studies and experimental studies of perinatally exposed animals indicate that exposure to ortho-phthalates can impair brain development and increase risks for learning, attention, and behavioral disorders in childhood. This growing body of evidence, along with known adverse effects on male reproductive tract development, calls for immediate action.Exposures are ubiquitous; the majority of people are exposed to multiple ortho-phthalates simultaneously.

Predictors of Urinary Pyrethroid and Organophosphate Compound Concentrations among Healthy Pregnant Women in New York.

Our study aimed to investigate dietary and non-dietary predictors of exposure to pyrethroids, organophosphates pesticides and 2,4-D herbicide in two cohorts of pregnant women in New York City: 153 women from the Thyroid Disruption and Infant Development (TDID) cohort and 121 from the Sibling/Hermanos Cohort(S/H). Baseline data on predictors were collected from the women at time of recruitment. We used three different modeling strategies to address missing data due to biomarker values below the limit of detection ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prenatal and early childhood exposure to phthalates and childhood behavior at age 7 years.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that phthalate exposure may be associated with behavior problems in children and that these associations may be sex specific.

Methods: In a follow up study of 411 inner-city minority mothers and their children, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP), monethyl phthalate (MEP) and four di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites (DEHP) were quantified in maternal urine samples collected during the third trimester and in child urine samples at ages 3 and 5 years. The Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Long Form (CPRS) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were administered to the mothers to assess children's behavior problems at 7 years of age.

Perinatal phthalates exposure decreases fine-motor functions in 11-year-old girls: Results from weighted Quantile sum regression.

Introduction: Phthalates are a group of high production chemicals, generally used as plasticizers and odor enhancers. Phthalates cross the blood-placenta barrier and are associated with deficits in cognitive functions and behavior problems in offspring. We previously reported sex-specific associations with motor function when phthalates are considered singly.

Functional connectivity of the reading network is associated with prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations in a community sample of 5 year-old children: A preliminary study.

Genetic factors explain 60 percent of variance in reading disorder. Exposure to neurotoxicants, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), may be overlooked risk factors for reading problems. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine associations between prenatal PBDE concentrations and functional connectivity of a reading-related network (RN) in a community sample of 5-year-old children (N = 33).

Pre- and Postnatal Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Concentrations in Relation to Thyroid Parameters Measured During Early Childhood.

Penta-brominated diphenyl ethers (PentaBDEs) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that structurally resemble thyroid hormones and were widely used as flame retardants in household consumer products from 1975 to 2004. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) cross the placenta, and evidence suggests that for many children, body burdens may peak during the toddler years. This study aimed to understand the impact of exposure timing by examining both pre- and postnatal exposure to BDE-47, the predominant penta-brominated diphenyl ether congener detected in humans, in relation to thyroid hormone parameters measured during early childhood.

A preliminary study on prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether serum concentrations and intrinsic functional network organization and executive functioning in childhood.

Background: The prenatal period is a period of vulnerability during which neurotoxic exposures exert persistent changes in brain development and behavior. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), used as flame retardants in commercial products, are known to be developmental neurotoxicants. PBDEs were phased out of use in the United States a decade ago, but exposure remains widespread due to their release from existing products and biopersistence.

Prenatal and childhood exposure to phthalates and motor skills at age 11 years.

Background: Previous reports suggest that prenatal phthalate exposure is associated with lower scores on measures of motor skills in infants and toddlers. Whether these associations persist into later childhood or preadolescence has not been studied.

Methods: In a follow up study of 209 inner-city mothers and their children the concentrations of mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP), monomethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-carboxy-isooctyl phthalate (MCOP), and four di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites (ΣDEHP) were measured in spot urine sample collected from the women in late pregnancy and from their children at ages 3, 5, and 7 years.

Current respiratory symptoms and risk factors in pregnant women cooking with biomass fuels in rural Ghana.

Background: More than 75% of the population in Ghana relies on biomass fuels for cooking and heating. Household air pollution (HAP) emitted from the incomplete combustion of these fuels has been associated with adverse health effects including respiratory effects in women that can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a major contributor to global HAP-related mortality. HAP is a modifiable risk factor in the global burden of disease, exposure to which can be reduced.

Organophosphate exposures during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment: Recommendations for essential policy reforms.

In a Policy Forum, Irva Hertz-Picciotto and colleagues review the scientific evidence linking organophosphate pesticides to cognitive, behavioral, and neurological deficits in children and recommend actions to reduce exposures.

Phthalates and thyroid function in preschool age children: Sex specific associations.

Background: Research relating either prenatal or concurrent measures of phthalate exposure to thyroid function in preschool children is inconclusive.

Methods: In a study of inner-city mothers and their children, metabolites of di-n-butyl phthalate, butylbenzyl phthalate, di-isobutyl phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and diethyl phthalate were measured in a spot urine sample collected from women in late pregnancy and from their children at age 3years. We measured children's serum free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) at age 3.

Maternal urinary phthalates and sex-specific placental mRNA levels in an urban birth cohort.

Background: Prenatal urinary concentrations of phthalates in women participants in an urban birth cohort were associated with outcomes in their children related to neurodevelopment, autoimmune disease risk, and fat mass at 3,5,7, and 8 years of life. Placental biomarkers and outcomes at birth may offer biologic insight into these associations. This is the first study to address these associations with candidate genes from the phthalate and placenta literature, accounting for sex differences, and using absolute quantitation methods for mRNA levels.

Urinary Concentrations of Insecticide and Herbicide Metabolites among Pregnant Women in Rural Ghana: A Pilot Study.

Unlabelled: Use of pesticides by households in rural Ghana is common for residential pest control, agricultural use, and for the reduction of vectors carrying disease. However, few data are available about exposure to pesticides among this population. Our objective was to quantify urinary concentrations of metabolites of organophosphate (OP), pyrethroid, and select herbicides during pregnancy, and to explore exposure determinants.

Maternal prenatal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and visual recognition memory among infants at 27 weeks.

Background: Prior research has demonstrated inverse associations between maternal prenatal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and cognitive development assessed in preschool and school-aged children. While there are a limited number of studies that evaluated these associations during infancy, no study has evaluated whether these associations exist when using the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence (FTII), which captures novelty preference as a function of visual recognition memory.

Objective: We evaluated associations between phthalate metabolite concentrations in maternal prenatal urine and cognition in infancy using the FTII at 27 weeks and determine if these associations are sex-specific.

Project TENDR: Targeting Environmental Neuro-Developmental Risks The TENDR Consensus Statement.

Children in America today are at an unacceptably high risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders that affect the brain and nervous system including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disabilities, and other learning and behavioral disabilities. These are complex disorders with multiple causes—genetic, social, and environmental. The contribution of toxic chemicals to these disorders can be prevented.

Pesticide exposures in a malarious and predominantly farming area in Central Ghana.

In areas where malaria is endemic, pesticides are widely deployed for vector control, which has contributed to reductions in malaria deaths. Pesticide use for agrarian purposes reduces pest populations, thus improving crop production and post-harvest losses. However, adverse health effects have been associated with pesticide exposure, ranging from skin irritation to neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity.

Bisphenol A and Adiposity in an Inner-City Birth Cohort.

Background: Early-life exposure to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) may contribute to the development of obesity. Prospective evidence in humans on this topic is limited.

Objectives: We examined prenatal and early-childhood BPA exposures in relation to childhood measures of adiposity in the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) New York City birth cohort.

Prenatal Phthalate Exposures and Body Mass Index Among 4- to 7-Year-old Children: A Pooled Analysis.

Background: Phthalates are hypothesized to cause obesity, but few studies have assessed whether prenatal phthalate exposures are related to childhood body mass index (BMI).

Methods: We included 707 children from three prospective cohort studies enrolled in the US between 1998 and 2006 who had maternal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations measured during pregnancy, and measures of weight and height at ages 4 to 7 years. We calculated age- and sex-standardized BMI z scores and classified children with BMI percentiles ≥85 as overweight/obese.

Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphorous Pesticides and Fetal Growth: Pooled Results from Four Longitudinal Birth Cohort Studies.

Background: Organophosphorous (OP) pesticides are associated with reduced fetal growth in animals, but human studies are inconsistent.

Objectives: We pooled data from four cohorts to examine associations of prenatal OP exposure with birth weight (n = 1,169), length (n = 1,152), and head circumference (n = 1,143).

Methods: Data were from the CHAMACOS, HOME, Columbia, and Mount Sinai birth cohorts.

Excessive gestational weight gain is associated with long-term body fat and weight retention at 7 y postpartum in African American and Dominican mothers with underweight, normal, and overweight prepregnancy BMI.

Background: Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with postpartum weight retention (PPWR) and abdominal adiposity, but long-term effects are understudied in low-income and minority populations at high risk of obesity and associated sequelae.

Objective: We examined associations between GWG and long-term PPWR and adiposity in a prospective cohort of African American and Dominican mothers in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan.

Design: Women (n = 302) were enrolled during pregnancy and were followed for 7 y postpartum.

Prenatal Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure and Child Neurodevelopment at 24 Months: An Analysis of Four Birth Cohorts.

Background: Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) are used in agriculture worldwide. Residential use was common in the United States before 2001.

Objectives: We conducted a pooled analysis of four birth cohorts (children's centers; n = 936) to evaluate associations of prenatal exposure to OPs with child development at 24 months.

CO-occurring exposure to perchlorate, nitrate and thiocyanate alters thyroid function in healthy pregnant women.

Background: Adequate maternal thyroid function during pregnancy is necessary for normal fetal brain development, making pregnancy a critical window of vulnerability to thyroid disrupting insults. Sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) inhibitors, namely perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate, have been shown individually to competitively inhibit uptake of iodine by the thyroid. Several epidemiologic studies examined the association between these individual exposures and thyroid function.