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Maternal and Fetal Exposure to Environmental Insults

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 41008

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Laura A. Geer

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, SUNY Downstate Medical, Center School of Public Health, 450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
Interests: air quality; climate change; disaster preparedness; resilience; maternal and child health; vulnerable populations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Lori A. Hoepner

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, School of Public Health,450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
Interests: air quality; extreme weather events; climate change; maternal/child health; resilience
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As public health responds to the global pandemic, we should not lose sight of common environmental exposure impacts on maternal and fetal health. Rather, we should increase awareness of exposures from household products as more time is spent “quarantined” in the home. Since the pandemic began, daily routines have changed and behaviors have been modified: cleaning the home, products worn for prolonged periods close to the skin, and materials brought into the home. In the past decade, there has been a convincing body of literature connecting consumer product chemicals to endocrine-disrupting potential with possible impacts on maternal and child health. There have been advances in the studies of exposure mixtures and chemical substitutions. We must also be responsive to health impacts of climate change, with an emphasis on air pollution and possible associations with IQ reductions and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In response to these challenges, we invite papers to this Special Issue that cover methods development, novel exposure assessment methods (e.g., wearables, digital technologies), and innovative approaches for characterization of risk as applied to vulnerable groups for classification of exposures and outcomes. We welcome papers of high academic quality with attention to practical implications for informing prevention.

Dr. Laura A. Geer
Dr. Lori A. Hoepner
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

perinatal exposure
biomarkers
endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)
metals
environmental epidemiology
exposure assessment
digital health
consumer product chemicals (CPCs)
COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection products
air pollution

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1855 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Usage of Children’s Makeup and Body Products in the United States and Implications for Childhood Environmental Exposures

by Eleanor A. Medley, Kendall E. Kruchten, Miranda J. Spratlen, Maricela Ureño, Anabel Cole, Rashmi Joglekar and Julie B. Herbstman

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2114; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20032114 - 24 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 32860

Abstract

There is growing evidence of toxicity associated with ingredients found in cosmetics and personal care products. Children’s makeup and body products (CMBPs) are widely marketed to children throughout the US; however, little is known about how and why children use them. We administered a survey to parents/guardians of children aged ≤12 years about the use of CMBPs. Among all the children (n = 312) of survey respondents (n = 207), 219 (70%) have used CMBPs in their lifetime. Older children used CMBPs at higher rates than younger children, and female children used CMBPs at higher rates than male children. Children of Hispanic/Latinx parents/guardians used CMBPs more often and for shorter durations and a greater proportion used lip, hair, and fragrance products than children of non-Hispanic parents/guardians. Approximately half the children that use CMBPs were reported to use them with play intentions. Compared to children of non-Hispanic parents/guardians, children of Hispanic/Latinx parents/guardians reported more play motivations for CMBP use. Using qualitative analysis approaches, responses suggest CMBPs are commonly used for fun or play activities. This mixed methods analysis serves as an introduction to understanding early life exposures to this unique and understudied class of products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maternal and Fetal Exposure to Environmental Insults)

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22 pages, 5978 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Health Risk Assessment of Exposure to 15 Essential and Toxic Elements in Spanish Women of Reproductive Age: A Case Study

by Carmen Sáez, Alfredo Sánchez, Vicent Yusà, Pablo Dualde, Sandra F. Fernández, Antonio López, Francisca Corpas-Burgos, Miguel Ángel Aguirre and Clara Coscollà

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13012; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182413012 - 09 Dec 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2473

Abstract

This case study investigates the exposure of 119 Spanish women of reproductive age to 5 essential (Co, Cu, Mn, V, Zn) and 10 toxic (Ba, Be, Cs, Ni, Pb, Pt, Sb, Th, Al, U) elements and assesses their risk. The essential elements (Co, Cu, Mn, V, and Zn) showed average concentrations (GM: geometric mean) of 0.8, 35, 0.5, 0.2, and 347 μg/L, respectively. Five of the toxic elements (Ba, Cs, Ni, Al, U) exhibited detection frequencies of 100%. The GM concentrations of the novel toxic elements were 12 μg/L (Al), 0.01 μg/L (Pt), 0.02 μg/L (U), 0.12 μg/L (Th), 0.009 μg/L (Be) and 4 μg/L (Cs). The urine analysis was combined with a survey to assess any variations between subgroups and potential predictors of exposure to elements in the female population. Significant differences were obtained between the rural and urban areas studied for the toxic element Cs, with higher levels found in mothers living in urban areas. In relation to diet, statistically significantly higher levels of essential (Cu) and toxic (Ba) elements were detected in women with a high consumption of fish, while mothers who consumed a large quantity of legumes presented higher levels of the toxic element Ni (p = 0.0134). In a risk-assessment context, hazard quotients (HQs) greater than 1 were only observed for the essential elements Zn and Cu in P95. No deficiency was found regarding the only essential element for which a biomonitoring equivalent for nutritional deficit is available (Zn). For the less-studied toxic elements (Al, Pt, U, Th, Be, and Cs), HQs were lower than 1, and thus, the health risk due to exposure to these elements is expected to be low for the female population under study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maternal and Fetal Exposure to Environmental Insults)

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Review

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12 pages, 600 KiB

Open AccessReview

Climate Change-Related Environmental Exposures and Perinatal and Maternal Health Outcomes in the U.S.

by Ryne J. Veenema, Lori A. Hoepner and Laura A. Geer

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 1662; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20031662 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3603

Abstract

Purpose: Climate change poses one of the greatest risks to human health as air pollution increases, surface temperatures rise, and extreme weather events become more frequent. Environmental exposures related to climate change have a disproportionate effect on pregnant women through influencing food and water security, civil conflicts, extreme weather events, and the spread of disease. Our research team sought to identify the current peer-reviewed research on the effects of climate change-related environmental exposures on perinatal and maternal health in the United States. Design and Methods: A systematic literature review of publications identified through a comprehensive search of the PubMed and Web of Science databases was conducted using a modified Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach. The initial search across both databases identified a combined total of 768 publications. We removed 126 duplicates and 1 quadruplet, and the remaining 639 publications were subjected to our pre-set inclusion and exclusion criteria. We excluded studies outside of the United States. A total of 39 studies met our inclusion criteria and were retained for thematic analysis. Findings: A total of 19 studies investigated the effect of either hot or cold temperature exposure on perinatal and maternal health outcomes. The effect of air pollution on perinatal outcomes was examined in five studies. A total of 19 studies evaluated the association between natural disasters (hurricanes, flash floods, and tropical cyclones) and perinatal and maternal health outcomes. High and low temperature extremes were found to negatively influence neonate and maternal health. Significant associations were found between air pollutant exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were linked to hurricanes, tropical cyclones, and flash floods. Conclusions: This systematic review suggests that climate change-related environmental exposures, including extreme temperatures, air pollution, and natural disasters, are significantly associated with adverse perinatal and maternal health outcomes across the United States. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maternal and Fetal Exposure to Environmental Insults)

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