Showing papers in "Environmental Health Perspectives in 2020"
TL;DR: Investigation of relationships between chemical structures and in vivo phenotypes that may arise from shared mechanisms of PFAS toxicity suggests that developmental neurotoxicity is an important end point to consider for this class of widely occurring environmental chemicals.
Abstract: Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse class of industrial chemicals with widespread environmental occurrence. Exposure to long-chain PFAS is associated with developme...
167 citations
TL;DR: The proportions of PFHxA, PFHpA, and PFBS were higher in drinking water than in serum, and the opposite was found forPFHxS and PFOS, and a general pattern of increasing half-lives with increasing chain length was observed.
Abstract: Background: Firefighting foam–contaminated ground water, which contains high levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), is frequently found around airports. In 2018 it was detected that employees ...
143 citations
TL;DR: Although longitudinal studies with individual-level data may be imperfect, they are needed to adequately address this topic and the complexities involved in these types of studies underscore the need for careful design and for peer review.
Abstract: Background: Studies have reported that ambient air pollution is associated with an increased risk of developing or dying from coronavirus-2 (COVID-19). Methodological approaches to investigate the ...
125 citations
TL;DR: Gestational exposure to GenX recapitulated many documented effects of PFOA in CD-1 mice, regardless of its much shorter reported half-life; however, adverse effects toward the placenta appear to have compound-specific signatures.
Abstract: Background: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a poly- and perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in mice and humans, but little is known regarding one of its repl...
112 citations
TL;DR: This first comprehensive and systematic analysis of many suspected environmental obesogens strengthens evidence for an association of smoking, air pollution exposure, and characteristics of the built environment with childhood obesity risk.
Abstract: Background Chemical and nonchemical environmental exposures are increasingly suspected to influence the development of obesity, especially during early life, but studies mostly consider single exposure groups Objectives Our study aimed to systematically assess the association between a wide array of early-life environmental exposures and childhood obesity, using an exposome-wide approach Methods The HELIX (Human Early Life Exposome) study measured child body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, skinfold thickness, and body fat mass in 1,301 children from six European birth cohorts age 6-11 y We estimated 77 prenatal exposures and 96 childhood exposures (cross-sectionally), including indoor and outdoor air pollutants, built environment, green spaces, tobacco smoking, and biomarkers of chemical pollutants (persistent organic pollutants, metals, phthalates, phenols, and pesticides) We used an exposure-wide association study (ExWAS) to screen all exposure-outcome associations independently and used the deletion-substitution-addition (DSA) variable selection algorithm to build a final multiexposure model Results The prevalence of overweight and obesity combined was 288% Maternal smoking was the only prenatal exposure variable associated with higher child BMI (z-score increase of 028, 95% confidence interval: 009, 048, for active vs no smoking) For childhood exposures, the multiexposure model identified particulate and nitrogen dioxide air pollution inside the home, urine cotinine levels indicative of secondhand smoke exposure, and residence in more densely populated areas and in areas with fewer facilities to be associated with increased child BMI Child blood levels of copper and cesium were associated with higher BMI, and levels of organochlorine pollutants, cobalt, and molybdenum were associated with lower BMI Similar results were found for the other adiposity outcomes Discussion This first comprehensive and systematic analysis of many suspected environmental obesogens strengthens evidence for an association of smoking, air pollution exposure, and characteristics of the built environment with childhood obesity risk Cross-sectional biomarker results may suffer from reverse causality bias, whereby obesity status influenced the biomarker concentration https://doiorg/101289/EHP5975
107 citations
Research Triangle Park1, National Institutes of Health2, Technische Universität München3, University of Bari4, Universidade Federal de Goiás5, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill6, Umeå University7, Lanzhou University8, University of Milano-Bicocca9, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research10, University of Insubria11, Karolinska Institutet12, Dalian University of Technology13, North Carolina State University14, University of Tartu15, Food and Drug Administration16, University of Strasbourg17, United States Environmental Protection Agency18, Technical University of Denmark19, University of Paris20, Institute of Business & Medical Careers21, U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry22, University of Chicago23, East China University of Science and Technology24
TL;DR: The Collaborative Modeling Project for Androgen Receptor Activity (CoMPARA) efforts are described, which follows the steps of the Collaborative Estrogen Recept Activity Prediction Project (CERAPP).
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are xenobiotics that mimic the interaction of natural hormones and alter synthesis, transport, or metabolic pathways. The prospect of EDCs causing ...
107 citations
TL;DR: In this article, microplastics have contaminated all compartments of the marine environment including biota such as seafood; ingestion from such sources is one of the two major uptake routes for MPs.
Abstract: Background: Microplastics (MPs) have contaminated all compartments of the marine environment including biota such as seafood; ingestion from such sources is one of the two major uptake routes ident...
105 citations
TL;DR: Poorly understood fluoroethers released into the Cape Fear River by a fluorochemical manufacturing facility were detected in blood samples from Wilmington, North Carolina, residents.
Abstract: Background: From 1980 to 2017, a fluorochemical manufacturing facility discharged wastewater containing poorly understood per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the Cape Fear River, the prim...
104 citations
TL;DR: The objective was to estimate global access to handwashing with soap and water to inform use of handwashing in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission, and disparities in handwashing access should be incorporated into CO VID-19 forecasting models when applied to low-income countries.
Abstract: Background: Low-income countries have reduced health care system capacity and are therefore at risk of substantially higher COVID-19 case fatality rates than those currently seen in high-income cou...
92 citations
TL;DR: Serum PFOA concentrations were high relative to concentrations in populations with background residential exposures only, and interindividual variation of serum PFAS levels was partially explained by the considered predictors.
Abstract: Background: In spring 2013, groundwater of a vast area of the Veneto Region (northeastern Italy) was found to be contaminated by perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a PFAS manufacturing plant act...
86 citations
Pompeu Fabra University1, French Institute of Health and Medical Research2, University of London3, Imperial College London4, University of Oulu5, Cyprus University of Technology6, The Cyprus Institute7, University of Crete8, Aarhus University9, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland10, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia11, Vytautas Magnus University12, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine13, Cranfield University14
TL;DR: Current levels in certain countries still could lead to a considerable burden of bladder cancer that could potentially be avoided by optimizing water treatment, disinfection, and distribution practices, among other possible measures.
Abstract: Background: Trihalomethanes (THMs) are widespread disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water, and long-term exposure has been consistently associated with increased bladder cancer risk. Obje...
TL;DR: Higher adolescent levels of Mn, Pb, and Cr were associated with lower IQ scores, especially at low Cu levels, and adjusted models revealed an inverted U-shaped association between hair Cu and VIQ, consistent with Cu as an essential nutrient that is neurotoxic in excess.
Abstract: Background: Research on the health effects of chemical mixtures has focused mainly on early life rather than adolescence, a potentially important developmental life stage. Objectives: We examined a...
TL;DR: This work demonstrates a new approach to estimating the joint effects of a mixture: quantile g-computation, a method of causal effect estimation that allows inference on mixture effects that is unbiased with appropriate CI coverage at sample sizes typically encountered in epidemiologic studies and when the assumptions of WQS regression are not met.
Abstract: Background: Exposure mixtures frequently occur in data across many domains, particularly in the fields of environmental and nutritional epidemiology. Various strategies have arisen to answer questi...
Emory University1, Johns Hopkins University2, Colorado State University3, Indian Council of Medical Research4, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala5, University of London6, Harvard University7, Cayetano Heredia University8, National Institutes of Health9, Washington University in St. Louis10, University of Oxford11
TL;DR: This paper describes the design and methods of an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) of LPG stove and fuel distribution in 3,200 households in 4 LMICs (India, Guatemala, Peru, and Rwanda), and will provide evidence to inform national and global policies on scaling up L gas stove use among vulnerable populations.
Abstract: Background: Globally, nearly 3 billion people rely on solid fuels for cooking and heating, the vast majority residing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The resulting household air pollut...
TL;DR: Evidence that exposure to heatwaves during the final gestational week can independently trigger preterm birth is strengthened, which adds new evidence to the current understanding of combined effects of air pollution and meteorological variables on adverse birth outcomes.
Abstract: Background: Both extreme heat and air pollution exposure during pregnancy have been associated with preterm birth; however, their combined effects are unclear. Objectives: Our goal was to estimate ...
TL;DR: Metal/metalloid levels in e-liquid, aerosols, and biosamples of e-cigarette users across e-cigarettes device systems were similar or higher than levels found in bios samples of conventional cigarette users, and even higher than those found in BIOSamples of cigar users.
Abstract: Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have become popular, in part because they are perceived as a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes. An increasing number of studies, however, have...
TL;DR: Higher gestational concentrations of some phthalate metabolites were associated with higher scores of autistic traits as measured by the SRS-2 in boys, but not girls; these small size effects were mitigated by first trimester-of-pregnancy folic acid supplementation.
Abstract: Background: The etiology of autism spectrum disorder is poorly understood. Few studies have investigated the link between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and autistic traits. We examined the relatio...
Norwegian Institute of Public Health1, Public Health Research Institute2, Université de Montréal3, Ruhr University Bochum4, Aarhus University5, University of Valencia6, University of the Basque Country7, Slovak Medical University8, University of California, Davis9, Aarhus University Hospital10, Yale University11
TL;DR: Stratified analyses suggest that there may be an increased prevalence of ADHD in association with PFAS exposure in girls, in children from nulliparous women, and inChildren from low-educated mothers, all of which warrant further exploration.
Abstract: Introduction: To date, the evidence for an association between perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is inconclusive. Objective: We inves...
TL;DR: PM2.5 was identified as a risk factor for poor cognitive function in Chinese older adults and improving air quality may reduce the future population burden of poor Cognitive function, especially in areas with high air pollution.
Abstract: Background: Research on the relationship between long-term exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤25μm (PM25) and poor cognitive function is lacking in developing countries, es
TL;DR: A biological link for Cd and smoking-associated health effects is found, including the possibility that Cd is partly responsible for smoking toxicity through epigenetic changes, and novel DMPs related to smoking are found.
Abstract: Background: The epigenetic effects of individual environmental toxicants in tobacco remain largely unexplored. Cadmium (Cd) has been associated with smoking-related health effects, and its concentr...
TL;DR: Mutually independent DNA methylation was associated with source-specific transportation noise and air pollution exposures, with distinct and shared enrichments for pathways related to inflammation, cellular development, and immune responses.
Abstract: Background: Few epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) on air pollutants exist, and none have been done on transportation noise exposures, which also contribute to environmental burden of diseas...
TL;DR: The TTR-binding potency for contaminant mixtures as found in house dust, maternal serum, and infant serum was well predicted by concentration addition and it is hypothesized that 1.3% inhibition of T4-TTR binding may ultimately be decisive for reaching a status of maternal hypothyroidism or hypothyroxinemia associated with impaired neurodevelopment in children.
Abstract: Background: House dust contains many organic contaminants that can compete with the thyroid hormone (TH) thyroxine (T4) for binding to transthyretin (TTR). How these contaminants work together at l...
TL;DR: In this article, the validity of high-throughput screening of chemicals with in vitro reporter gene assays in Tox21 has produced a large database on cytotoxicity and specific modes of action.
Abstract: Background: High-throughput screening of chemicals with in vitro reporter gene assays in Tox21 has produced a large database on cytotoxicity and specific modes of action. However, the validity of s...
TL;DR: Transient exposure to particle number, length, and surface area concentrations or other potentially related exposures may trigger the onset of nonfatal myocardial infraction.
Abstract: Background: Epidemiological evidence on the health effects of ultrafine particles (UFP) remains insufficient to infer a causal relationship that is largely due to different size ranges and exposure...
TL;DR: A DNA methylation score for exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy is developed, outperforming the three previously developed scores and may provide a biomarker for fetal exposure to mothers smoking.
Abstract: Background: Fetal exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with the development of noncommunicable diseases in the offspring. Maternal smoking may induce such long-term effects t...
TL;DR: QSAR models based on IL-1β were able to predict the inflammatory potential of MeONPs and overcame the challenge of time- and labor-consuming biological experiments and allowed for computational assessment of MeONSP inflammatory potential by characterization of their physicochemical properties.
Abstract: Background: Although substantial concerns about the inflammatory effects of engineered nanomaterial (ENM) have been raised, experimentally assessing toxicity of various ENMs is challenging and time...
Health Canada1, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea2, University of New Brunswick3, University of Ottawa4, McGill University5, McGill University Health Centre6, University of Toronto7, University of California, San Diego8, San Diego State University9, Dalhousie University10, Harvard University11, Oregon State University12
TL;DR: Living in urban areas with more green spaces was associated with improved cardiovascular health in people free of AMI and HF but not among individuals who have already developed these conditions.
Abstract: Background: Living in greener areas of cities was linked to increased physical activity levels, improved mental well-being, and lowered harmful environmental exposures, all of which may affect huma...
TL;DR: In this paper, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are found to be environmentally persistent chemicals widely detected in women of reproductive age and are associated with adverse health effects.
Abstract: Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmentally persistent chemicals widely detected in women of reproductive age. Prenatal PFAS exposure is associated with adverse healt...
TL;DR: Larger absolute declines in CWS arsenic concentrations at higher water arsenic quantiles indicate declines are related to MCL implementation, raising environmental justice concerns.
Abstract: Background: In the United States, nationwide estimates of public drinking water arsenic exposure are not readily available. We used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Six-Year Review ...
TL;DR: An overview of epigenetic regulation and a summary of reported evidence of environmental toxicants as epigenetic disruptors is presented and it is predicted that unprecedented advancements will take place in the field in the coming years.
Abstract: Background: It has been estimated that a substantial portion of chronic and noncommunicable diseases can be caused or exacerbated by exposure to environmental chemicals. Multiple lines of evidence ...