Birth Cohorts in Highly Contaminated Sites: A Tool for Monitoring the Relationships Between Environmental Pollutants and Children's Health.

Gaspare Drago,Fabio Cibella,Silvestre Sampino,Fabrizio Bianchi,Silvia Ruggieri

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00125

Abstract

Industrial areas are characterized by the dispersion of environmental stressors that could possibly have long-term detrimental effects on both human health and the environment. Environmental contamination has been indicated to be one of the major risks for reproductive health. In this context, the effects of environmental pollution on pregnant women living in heavily polluted areas is of special interest. In fact, fetal development is a crucial phase due to the dynamic interaction between the maternal/external environments and the developing organs and tissues. Moreover, following Barker's postulate of the intrauterine origin of health and disease, the events occurring in this time window could affect future health. Birth cohorts provide the most suitable design for assessing the association between early-life and possible long-term health outcomes in highly contaminated sites. By providing an assessment of the early life environment throughout the collection of biological samples, birth cohorts offer the opportunity to study in-depth several possible confounders and outcomes by means of questionnaires and follow-ups based on clinical evaluations and bio-specimen samplings. The exposome comprises the totality of exposures from conception onwards; the birth cohort approach allows the integration of the exposures as a whole, including those related to socioeconomic status, with “omics” data from biological samples collected at birth and throughout life. In the characterization of the “fetal exposome,” the placenta represents a highly informative and scarcely considered organ. For this purpose, the “Neonatal Environment and Health Outcomes” (NEHO) birth cohort has been established by enrolling pregnant women residing in contaminated sites and in surrounding areas.

Highlights

Health Effects of Environmental Exposures in Highly Contaminated SitesContaminated sites can be defined as “areas hosting or having hosted human activities which have produced or might produce environmental contamination of soil, surface or groundwater, air, food-chain, resulting or being able to result in human health impacts” [1]
Contaminants such as heavy metals (HMs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may transfer from one environmental matrix to another and, depending on their chemical-physical properties, are able to infiltrate the human body through different exposure pathways and routes [2]
In addition to data from placental examination and the bio-monitoring of multiple pollutants in maternal and cord blood, maternal data collected through questionnaires and geo-spatial data associated with environmental monitoring stations could be used to define the external fetal exposome and its association with postnatal health outcomes

Summary

Introduction

Health Effects of Environmental Exposures in Highly Contaminated SitesContaminated sites can be defined as “areas hosting or having hosted human activities which have produced or might produce environmental contamination of soil, surface or groundwater, air, food-chain, resulting or being able to result in human health impacts” [1]. In utero toxic metal exposures may be associated with early life increases in blood pressure in children, which could have consequences for long-term health.

Results

Conclusion