Environmental Health and Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Prenatal and childhood environmental exposures are an underrecognized primary cause of intellectual and other developmental disabilities. In addition, individuals with established disabilities are vulnerable to further harm from subsequent environmental exposures. In individuals with communicative impairment or limited ability to independently escape from hazards, these subsequent exposures, too, may occur undetected or untreated. This article introduces the subject of environmental health and developmental disabilities throughout the life span. In particular, we focus on ways that families, communities, and health professionals can prevent both primary and secondary disabilities through better awareness of common environmental health issues.

Contribution of Tobacco Smoke Exposure to Learning Disabilities

“…Nicotine may also target neurotransmitter receptors in the fetal brain, causing abnormalities in cell proliferation and differentiation (Fried, Watkinson, & Siegel, 1997). Infant exposure to tobacco smoke can occur through inhalation or through breast milk (Tyler, White‐Scott, Ekvall, & Abulafia, 2008).…”

Persistent organic pollutants at the synapse: Shared phenotypes and converging mechanisms of developmental neurotoxicity

“…Epidemiologic evidence has also associated early exposure to heavy metals with psychiatric disorders (Bouchard et al, 2009), schizophrenia (Opler et al, 2008), and cognitive decline (Weisskopf et al, 2007) later in life. As a result, the prenatal and early postnatal periods are important timewindows for understanding how and to what degree exposure to environmental chemicals can lead to permanent and lifelong impacts on the brain and behavior (Koger et al, 2005;Maffini & Neltner, 2015;Rauh & Margolis, 2016;Tyler et al, 2008).…”

Characterizing the Neurodevelopmental Pesticide Exposome in a Children’s Agricultural Cohort

“…Although the majority of neurogenesis and neuron migration occurs during the prenatal period, there are still key processes in brain development that occur postnatally [14]. As a result, there is an extended "window of susceptibility" for children's neurodevelopment, and exposure to environmental neurotoxicants throughout early adolescence can have significant impacts on a child's learning, behavior, and attention [13][14][15][16]. There are a number of well-characterized environmental toxicants that are known to have an adverse impact on children's neurodevelopment, including lead, methylmercury, tetrachloroethylene, and the organophosphate (OP) pesticide chlorpyrifos [15].…”