Environment in Children’s Health: A New Challenge for Risk Assessment

Abstract

In the last few years, many studies have focused on the effects of environmental contaminant exposure during the prenatal period or infancy as predictors of health outcomes in the future. In these time windows, due to their rapid growth, and physiologic and metabolic development, we can observe a higher vulnerability to the effects of environment, with respect to adulthood. The evidence of possible influences, partly mediated by epigenetic mechanisms, involve neurobehavioral responses and immune, endocrine, and respiratory systems, acting directly on the child or indirectly when mediated by placental transfer or breast feeding. In particular, due to a greater intake of air, food, and fluids relative to body weight, crawling behaviors and short stature, the risk of excessive exposure is greater in children. However, data on the long-term implications of early exposures are scarce. Additionally, so that physicians and institutions for child care and assistance of pregnant women can take actions to counteract the effects of chemical pollution (i.e., by educational opportunities), a risk assessment perspective that responds to the biocomplexity of the human being is needed. The present paper provides an overview of physiologic and behavioral characteristics during the perinatal period and in childhood, suggesting in a more integrated way, the need of a new risk-assessment approach to managing chronic disease in pediatric patients.

Dietary survey of poultry egg intake among residents in Kunming city, southwest China

“…For the purpose of evaluating dietary risks, accurate values of body weight at each age are required. According to a research, children are exposed to various environmental chemicals at excessively high levels and children consume more food per pound of body weight than adults ( 42 ). These results mean that children will be exposed to environmental pollutants in food and water at higher rates than adults.…”

Climate change and respiratory health: a European Respiratory Society position statement

“…Among the different vulnerable groups [5], children are more affected by climate change than adults. Their lungs and immune systems are still under development, they breathe faster than adults, breathing in ( polluted air, hot air, or air with aeroallergens) about 2-3 times as much as adults, and they spend more time outside and are more physically active than adults [59]. Also, children typically cannot influence their living conditions or exposures to any large extent and must rely on caregivers and society to take responsibility for a healthy environment [59].…”

“…Their lungs and immune systems are still under development, they breathe faster than adults, breathing in ( polluted air, hot air, or air with aeroallergens) about 2-3 times as much as adults, and they spend more time outside and are more physically active than adults [59]. Also, children typically cannot influence their living conditions or exposures to any large extent and must rely on caregivers and society to take responsibility for a healthy environment [59]. Global warming with extended pollen seasons may have severe consequences for children and adolescents with allergic asthma, which is the dominating phenotype in this age category, and sensitisation rates and respiratory allergy to airborne allergens, including grass pollen, tree pollen or dust mites, are also reported to have increased globally in recent years [60].…”

Cohort profile update: The Canadian Maternal–Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals Child Development study (MIREC‐CD PLUS)

“…Infants and toddlers have unique exposure pathways (i.e., trans-placental, breastfeeding) and behaviours (i.e., mouthing, non-nutritive ingestion) that may increase their exposure to certain chemicals. [9][10][11] Few studies have sufficient power to explore the potential interplay between environmental chemicals, nutrition, psychosocial factors and genomics or to address underlying mechanisms of action.…”