Protecting Children from Environmental Toxins

Lanphear, Bruce P.; Vorhees, Charles V.; Bellinger, David C.

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0020061

Cited by 43 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 78 publications

(151 reference statements)

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“…The findings of significantly increased toxic metal levels in pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications in this study, is consistent with the findings of Agarwal et al, 2004, Lamphear 2005and Neeti 2012.…”

Section: Status Of Previous Pregnancy Complicationssupporting

confidence: 92%

Select toxic metals status of pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications in Benin City, South-South Nigeria

Otebhi¹,

Osadolor²

2016

Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management

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Toxic metals are part of the most important groups of environmental pollutants that can bind to vital cellular components and interfere with their functions via inhalation, foods, water etc. The serum levels of toxic metals (lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic) in pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications, pregnant women without history of pregnancy complication and non-pregnant women in Benin City, South -South Nigeria was investigated in this paper, with total of 135 healthy women comprising of 45 pregnant women with history of previous pregnancy complications, 45 pregnant women without history of pregnancy complications and 45 non-pregnant women without history of pregnancy complications (controls). Some demographic characteristics and 4ml of blood samples were obtained from each subject for the analysis of lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic by standard methods. Pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications recorded a highly significant increase in the toxic metal (lead) mean value of 25.81µg/dl as against 23.70µg/dl for pregnant women without history of pregnancy complications and 11.23µg/dl for non-pregnant (control) women without history of pregnancy complications as well as significant increases in the mean values of other toxic metals (mercury, cadmium and arsenic) compared with controls (p<0.001). The selected toxic metals (Pb, Hg, Cd and As) may be involved in the development of pregnancy complications among pregnant women in Benin City, South-South Nigeria. Lead in particular may pose threat to mothers and fetuses as its mean values in the two groups of pregnant women were well above normal. © JASEM http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v20i1.1

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Section: Status Of Previous Pregnancy Complicationssupporting

confidence: 92%

Select toxic metals status of pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications in Benin City, South-South Nigeria

Otebhi¹,

Osadolor²

2016

Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management

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“…Most of the contaminants and toxins readily found in human tissues-such as lead, flame retardants, bisphenol A, and phthalates-did not undergo premarket testing (70). Instead, we haphazardly conduct studies after pregnant women and children are routinely exposed to toxins or suspected toxins to untangle the toxic effects of a particular contaminant from a multitude of other risk factors.…”

Section: Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is some potential benefit when companies, such as Walmart, phase out products that contain phthalates or other suspected toxins owing to consumer pressure, but these voluntary actions will inevitably fail to protect children because of the large number of chemicals in the marketplace and the tendency to replace confirmed or suspected toxins with other, largely untested chemicals. The only comprehensive preventive strategy is to revise the regulatory framework for environmental chemicals and industrial pollutants and ensure they are not toxic before they are marketed or discharged into the environment (2,70).…”

Section: Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, we need to revise the regulatory framework to require industries to provide evidence that chemicals used in consumer products are not toxic before products are marketed (2,70). Second, we need to enhance the US Environmental Protection Agency's ability to set standards to evaluate the impact of environmental chemicals, industrial pollutants, and airborne toxics on the developing brain.…”

Section: Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of Toxins on the Developing Brain

Lanphear

2015

Annu. Rev. Public Health

150

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The impact of toxins on the developing brain is usually subtle for an individual child, but the damage can be substantial at the population level. Numerous challenges must be addressed to definitively test the impact of toxins on brain development in children: We must quantify exposure using a biologic marker or pollutant; account for an ever-expanding set of potential confounders; identify critical windows of vulnerability; and repeatedly examine the association of biologic markers of toxins with intellectual abilities, behaviors, and brain function in distinct cohorts. Despite these challenges, numerous toxins have been implicated in the development of intellectual deficits and mental disorders in children. Yet, too little has been done to protect children from these ubiquitous but insidious toxins. The objective of this review is to provide an overview on the population impact of toxins on the developing brain and describe implications for public health.

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“…7,8 Although efforts to standardize research methodology and understand the human health effects of newborns exposed to environmental chemicals in human milk have been proposed, 9 the health effects of exposure to the vast majority of these chemicals are largely unknown. 10,11 There are increasing efforts to study the impacts of human exposures to environmental contaminants in breastmilk and conduct surveillance to quantify human exposure to environmental contaminants, but it remains unclear whether to report individual test results to study participants. Some investigators and ethicists believe that study participants have the right to receive individual test results.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reporting Individual Test Results of Environmental Chemicals in Breastmilk: Potential for Premature Weaning

Geraghty

Morrow²,

Lanphear³

2008

Breastfeeding Medicine

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Objective: Environmental chemicals are readily measured in human milk. Although it is imperative to conduct studies on frequency of detection and effects of exposures to environmental chemicals in human milk, the potential impact of reporting individual test results to lactating women is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine if mothers want to know if chemicals are in their breastmilk and if knowing the results would alter their breastfeeding practices. Methods: We surveyed 381 mothers who were participating in a longitudinal birth cohort about whether they wanted to receive individual test results for environmental chemicals in their milk and whether they would alter their breastfeeding patterns if they were told that their milk contained "low" or "high" levels of phthalates. Results: Among the women who breastfed, 68% said that they wanted to know if there were chemicals in their breastmilk. Of breastfeeding women, 78% and 93% of mothers reported that they would either discontinue breastfeeding sooner than intended or pump and discard their milk if they were told they had "low" or "high" levels of phthalates in their milk, respectively. African American women were significantly more likely than Caucasian women to report that they would immediately wean if told of phthalates in their milk. Conclusions: Concern about environmental chemicals in breastmilk may lead to early termination of breastfeeding. Chemical manufacturers and researchers should recognize the potential implications of isolating and reporting environmental chemicals in breastmilk. 207

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Protecting Children from Environmental Toxins

Abstract: Lanphear and colleagues argue that the existing requirements in the US for toxicity testing and regulation of pesticides and industrial chemicals are inadequate to safeguard children

Cited by 43 publications

References 78 publications

Select toxic metals status of pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications in Benin City, South-South Nigeria

Select toxic metals status of pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications in Benin City, South-South Nigeria

The Impact of Toxins on the Developing Brain

Reporting Individual Test Results of Environmental Chemicals in Breastmilk: Potential for Premature Weaning

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