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Parental Exposure and Effects of Environmental Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals on Human Reproduction and Fetal Development

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 6275

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax Virginia, VA 22030, USA
Interests: endocrine disruptors;global environmental health;health disparities; reproduction and development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as phthalates, environmental phenols, persistent organic pollutants, and toxic trace elements, among others, are reproductive toxicants in experimental models and there is growing evidence of deleterious impacts on human reproduction and development. Though these agents may increase the convenience, efficiency, and in many cases safety of modern life, the potentially deleterious reproductive effects may be detrimental to human health. Greater parental exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals has been associated with infertility and other reproductive morbidities, adverse birth outcomes, and altered fetal, infant, and child development. Furthermore, many endocrine disruptor exposures are disproportionately borne by minority racial and ethnic groups, including people of color and indigenous communities, as well as the impoverished and other vulnerable populations. Given widespread exposure and experimental evidence of adverse reproductive health impacts, additional research is urgently needed to more definitively characterize and identify sources of parental exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and their reproductive effects in human populations.

This special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on current literature addressing sources of maternal and paternal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and associations between parental exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals with fertility, maternal health, birth outcomes, and infant and child development. Research examining disparities in exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals and their effects is especially welcome, although all investigations of parental endocrine disruptor exposure and reproductive endpoints in human populations will be considered.

Dr. Michael S. Bloom
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Environmental justice
  • Endocrine disrupting chemicals
  • Ethnic disparities
  • Health Inequalities
  • Race disparities
  • Racism
  • Reproductive toxicants
  • Vulnerable populations

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 513 KiB  
Article
Does Older Age Modify Associations between Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Fecundability?
by Anna Z. Pollack, Jenna R. Krall, Shanna H. Swan and Germaine M. Buck Louis
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 8074; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138074 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2097
Abstract
Urinary concentrations of several endocrine disrupting chemicals, including phthalate metabolites, bisphenol A (BPA), and benzophenone (BP)-type ultraviolet (UV) filters, have been associated with a longer time-to-pregnancy (TTP). Potential modification of these associations by couple’s age has not been studied. TTP was defined as [...] Read more.
Urinary concentrations of several endocrine disrupting chemicals, including phthalate metabolites, bisphenol A (BPA), and benzophenone (BP)-type ultraviolet (UV) filters, have been associated with a longer time-to-pregnancy (TTP). Potential modification of these associations by couple’s age has not been studied. TTP was defined as the number of prospectively observed menstrual cycles a couple attempted pregnancy until the occurrence of a human chorionic gonadotropic-detected pregnancy. Urinary concentrations of two BP-type UV filters and three phthalate metabolites were measured at baseline. Fecundability odds ratios (FORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for each chemical adjusting for age, body mass index, serum cotinine, creatinine, and accounting for right censoring and left truncation. Models evaluated effect modification between EDC concentrations and TTP by partner’s age, dichotomized at 35 years. Separate models were run for male and female partners. No significant effect modification was observed for any EDC for either partner, but data were suggestive of a longer TTP among females aged ≥35 years, particularly for BP-2 (FOR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.36, 1.05) and 4-hydroxybenzophenone (FOR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.46, 1.09) reflecting 39% and 29% reductions in fecundability, respectively. We saw no evidence of effect modification by couples’ age on associations between TTP and urinary phthalate or BPA metabolite concentrations. Across the EDCs we examined, we found little evidence that age modifies TTP-exposure associations. Full article
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15 pages, 571 KiB  
Article
Maternal Food and Beverage Consumption Behaviors and Discrepant Phthalate Exposure by Race
by Mary E. Sterrett, Michael S. Bloom, Erica L. Jamro, Abby G. Wenzel, Rebecca J. Wineland, Elizabeth R. Unal, John Brock, John Kucklick, Kelly Garcia and Roger B. Newman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 2190; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042190 - 23 Feb 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3522
Abstract
Background: Differential exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalate diesters, may contribute to persistent racial/ethnic disparities in women’s reproductive health outcomes. We sought to characterize sources of gestational exposure to these agents that may differ according to maternal race. Methods: We enrolled [...] Read more.
Background: Differential exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalate diesters, may contribute to persistent racial/ethnic disparities in women’s reproductive health outcomes. We sought to characterize sources of gestational exposure to these agents that may differ according to maternal race. Methods: We enrolled pregnant Black (n = 198), including African American, and White (n = 197) women during the second trimester, and measured eight phthalate monoester metabolites in urine. We assessed confounder-adjusted associations between multiple food and beverage consumption habits, summarized using a principal component analysis, as predictors of maternal urinary phthalate metabolite levels, stratified by race. Results: Whites reported significantly greater unprocessed food consumption (42.5% vs. 32.0%; p < 0.001) and storage of food in clear unbreakable plastic containers (66.5% vs. 49.3%; p < 0.001) than Blacks, while Blacks consumed more canned fruits and vegetables (23.5% vs. 12.2%; p < 0.001) than Whites. Using plastics for food storage, microwaving in plastic containers, and using hard plastic water bottles was associated with urinary phthalate concentrations, especially DEHP metabolites (e.g., mean difference = 5.13%; 95% CI: 3.05, 7.25). These associations were driven primarily by Black pregnant women. Conclusions: Targeted interventions to reduce maternal exposure to phthalates need to be designed with specific attention to differences in food and beverage consumption behaviors among Black and White women. Full article
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