Late neurodevelopmental effects of early exposures to chemical contaminants: reducing uncertainty in epidemiological studies.
Early exposures to environmental chemicals are reliably associated with late neurotoxicities in children. However, substantial scatter of observations exists around the estimated dose-effect relationships. This variability has many potential sources, one of which is interindividual differences in susceptibility. Such differences imply that the long-term impacts of exposure will not the same for all individuals, but will vary depending on a variety of factors that might either aggravate or mitigate contaminant effects. These include co-exposures, genetic polymorphisms and characteristics of the social environment. The context dependence of contaminant effects has implications both for study designs and analytical approaches. In addition, a systems approach to understanding the associations among contaminant exposures, covariates and health outcomes is necessary.
Bellinger
David C
DC
Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA 02115, USA. david.bellinger@childrens.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D004777:Environment; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D035501:Uncertainty
D004785:Environmental Pollutants