Environmental Health Measures Research Articles

Blood Lead Mediates the Relationship between Biological Aging and Hypertension: Based on the NHANES Database.

Hypertension remains a major global public health crisis due to various contributing factors, such as age and environmental exposures. This study delves into exploring the intricate association between biological aging, blood lead levels, and hypertension, along with examining the mediating role of blood lead levels in the relationship between biological aging and hypertension. We analyzed data from two cycles of the NHANES, encompassing 4473 individuals aged 18 years and older. Our findings indicate that biological aging potentially escalates the risk of hypertension and the incidences of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) abnormalities. Utilizing weighted quantile sum (WQS) and quantile g-computation (QGC) model analyses, we observed that exposure to heavy metal mixtures, particularly lead, may elevate the likelihood of hypertension, SBP, and DBP abnormalities. Further mediation analysis revealed that lead significantly mediated the relationship between biological aging and hypertension and between biological aging and SBP abnormalities, accounting for 64% (95% CI, 49% to 89%) and 64% (95% CI, 44% to 88%) of the effects, respectively. These outcomes emphasize the criticality of implementing environmental health measures.

Association between serum copper and blood glucose: a mediation analysis of inflammation indicators in the NHANES (2011–2016)

BackgroundThe rising prevalence of diabetes underscores the need for identifying effective prevention strategies. Recent research suggests environmental factors, particularly heavy metals like copper, significantly influence health outcomes, including diabetes, through mechanisms involving inflammation and oxidative stress. This study aims to explore how serum copper levels affect blood glucose, employing NHANES data from 2011 to 2016, to provide insights into environmental health’s role in diabetes prevention and management.MethodsThe study analyzed data from 2,318 NHANES participants across three cycles (2011–2016), focusing on those with available data on serum copper, inflammatory markers, and blood glucose levels. We utilized principal component analysis for selecting inflammatory markers, mediation analysis to examine direct and indirect effects, multiple linear regression for assessing relationships between markers and glucose levels, and weighted quantile sum regression for evaluating individual and collective marker effects, adjusting for demographic variables and serum copper.ResultsParticipants averaged 42.70 years of age, with a near-even split between genders. Average serum copper was 119.50 μg/dL, white blood cell count 6.82 × 109/L, and fasting blood glucose 107.10 mg/dL. Analyses identified significant mediation by inflammatory markers (especially white blood cells: 39.78%) in the copper-blood glucose relationship. Regression analyses highlighted a positive correlation between white blood cells (estimate: 1.077, 95% CI: 0.432 to 2.490, p = 0.013) and copper levels and a negative correlation for monocyte percentage (estimate: −1.573, 95% CI: 0.520 to −3.025, p = 0.003). Neutrophil percentage was notably influential in glucose levels. Sensitive analyses confirmed the study’s findings.ConclusionSerum copper levels significantly impact blood glucose through inflammatory marker mediation, highlighting the importance of considering environmental factors in diabetes management and prevention. These findings advocate for public health interventions and policies targeting environmental monitoring and heavy metal exposure reduction, emphasizing the potential of environmental health measures in combating diabetes incidence.

As inconsistências da solução investidor-Estado na proteção internacional do investidor estrangeiro: análise das principais cláusulas substantivas dos BITs a partir dos casos arbitrais ad hoc, sob a perspectiva dos países receptores de capital

International investment law is historically structured by the unilateral protection of the foreign investor. The dissemination of the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) model dates back to the second half of the twentieth century, and its expansion occurred only after the 1980s. BITs consist of an international agreement comprising substantive and procedural rules, defining the protection of foreign investment and investors in a territory other than their nationality, as well as establishing a dispute resolution model, with the adoption of the Investor-State solution system via ad hoc arbitration. In the 21st century, after decades of prevalence of BITs, there have been numerous criticisms of this model, characterized by subjective and controversial decisions, incongruous interpretations and, above all, by blocking the legitimate exercise of the State to dispose of its public interest, such as environmental protection, health and economic measures. The article analyzes these substantive rules from ad hoc arbitration cases: (i) National Treatment (NT); (ii) Most-Favored-Nation Treatment (MFN); (iii) Minimum Standard of Treatment (MST) principle; (iv) Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET); (v) Full Protection and Security (FPS); (vi) Direct and Indirect Expropriations and Compensation; and (vii) Umbrella Clause. Finally, the article concludes that the arbitral awards are inconsistent and inflict serious damage to the exercise of the States, especially to host States, which is evidenced by the recent amendments of the BITs by more restrictive models of international investment protection.

Co‐created environmental health science: Identifying community questions and co‐generating knowledge to support science learning

AbstractSocial, political, and cultural complexities observed in environmental justice (EJ) communities require new forms of investigation, science teaching, and communication. Defined broadly, participatory approaches can challenge and change inequity and mistrust in science. Here, we describe Project Harvest and the partnership building and co‐generation of knowledge alongside four EJ communities in Arizona. From 2017 to 2021, Project Harvest centered learning around these communities and the participant experience drove the data sharing practice. The framework of sense‐making is used to analyze how community scientists (CS) are learning within the context of environmental pollution and (in)justice. The environmental health literacy (EHL) framework is applied to document the acquisition of skills that enable protective decision‐making and the capacity of CS to move along the EHL continuum. Using data from surveys, focus groups, and semi‐structured interviews, we are asking how did: (1) Personal connections and local relevancy fuel sense‐making? (2) Data sharing make pollution visible and connect to historical knowledge to either reinforce or modify their existing mental map around pollution? and (3) The co‐creation process build data literacy and a relationship science? Results indicate that due to the program framing, CS personally connected with, and made sense of their data based on use and experience. CS synthesized and connected their pollution history and lived experiences with their data and evaluated contaminant transport. CS saw themselves as part of the process, are taking what they learned and the evidence they helped produce to adopt protective environmental health measures and are applying these skills to new contexts. Here, co‐created science nurtured a new/renewed relationship with science. This science culture rooted in co‐creation, fosters action, trust, and supports ongoing science engagement. The science learning that stems from co‐created efforts can set the pace for social transformation and provide the foundation for structural change.

Geochemometrics of primordial radionuclides and their potential radiological risk in coastal sediments of Southeast Coast of India

In recent years, the contamination of the earth's materials with radioactive elements as naturally occurring radioactive material has been a source of concern. This study is aimed at the environmental radioactivity of beach sediments and the gamma dose levels along the south-eastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, from the Palar River mouth (Kadalur Kuppam) to the Pulicat Lake or Pazhaverkadu coast. Furthermore, to analyze the gamma dosage level, as well as the spatial variation of the activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 4 K, as well as the acid-leachable trace elements Ni, Pb, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Fe, and Cr in coastal sediments. In addition, radiological risk and hazard indices are assessed in the study domain. The MiniTRACE CSDF survey meter was used to determine the ambient gamma dose level and the activity concentration of primordial radionuclides (238U, 232Th, and 4 K) was quantified using gamma-ray spectroscopy with a NaI (Tl) detector, as well as trace elements studied in atomic absorption spectroscopy. The primordial radionuclides activity concentration (238U, 232Th, and 4 K) in collected coastal sediments of the proposed region were found in the range of ≤3–1953, ≤3–1180, and 41–753 Bq/kg, respectively. The annual effective dose rate was found in the order of 4 K > 232Th > 238U. Based on the geochemometric approach, the data collected for various radiological parameters were combined with radiological risk indices, and trace element concentrations were compared on a regional and global scale. The current study could provide a new research pathway in the areas of coastal monitoring, environmental health, and radiation safety measures.

Antioxidative Defense and Gut Microbial Changes under Pollution Stress in Carassius gibelio from Bucharest Lakes.

Fish are able to accumulate by ingestion various contaminants of aquatic environment, with negative consequences on their intestine, being continuously threatened worldwide by heavy metals, pesticides and antibiotics resulted from the human activities. Consequently, the health of other species can be affected by eating the contaminated fish meat. In this context, our study aimed to perform a comparison between the changes in intestine samples of Carassius gibelio individuals collected from different artificial lakes in Bucharest (Romania), used by people for leisure and fishing. The presence of various metals, pesticides and antibiotics in the gut of fish was assessed in order to correlate their accumulation with changes of antioxidative enzymes activities and microbiome. Our results showed that fish from Bucharest lakes designed for leisure (Chitila, Floreasca and Tei lakes) have an increased level of oxidative stress in intestine tissue, revealed by affected antioxidant enzymes activities and GSH levels, as well as the high degree of lipid peroxidation, compared to the fish from protected environment (Vacaresti Lake). Some heavy metals (Fe, Ni and Pb) and pesticides (aldrin and dieldrin) were in high amount in the gut of fish with modified antioxidative status. In conclusion, our study could improve the knowledge regarding the current state of urban aquatic pollution in order to impose several environmental health measures.

Does health expenditure matter for life expectancy in Mediterranean countries?

This research assesses the effect of health expenditure and sanitation on life expectancy in Mediterranean countries. We also consider other drivers of life expectancy, such as CO2 emissions and economic growth. The study covers the period 2000–2018, and the recently developed method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) approach was utilised to assess these interconnections. This method is immune to outliers and creates an asymmetric interrelationship between variables. The outcomes from the MMQR unveiled that economic growth, health expenditure, and sanitation enhanced life expectancy in all quantiles (0.1–0.90). Furthermore, in all quantiles (0.1–0.90), the effect of CO2 emissions on life expectancy was negative. Moreover, as a robustness check, the FMOLS, DOLS, and FE-OLS long-run estimators were applied, and the outcomes validated the MMQR outcomes. Based on the results generated, policymakers in these nations should implement effective environmental and public health measures that will pay off in the long run through improved health as a result of lower emissions of CO2, as well as increased economic expansion and productivity.

Transfer of Social Facilities from Social Responsibility Policies of Companies into Collective Labor Agreements

Since the second half of the twentieth century, in the liberal world economy, the idea has emerged that the benefit of entrepreneurs must be harmonized with environmental protection, safety and health measures for workers and the provision of extra-wage earnings. This 'fad' - underpinned by the philosophy of human rights and the ideology of sustainable development - is called 'corporate social responsibility' (CSR). Initially developed as an economic practice in the United States, corporate social responsibility has become a general hallmark of economic activities across the globe. In Romania, the most popular CSR measures are: meal vouchers, medical fringe benefits, training programmes and covering the costs of professional certifications, flexible working hours or working from home, access to gyms and lifestyle benefits, bonuses and bonuses, company car, holiday vouchers, mobile phones and high-performance laptops.

The impact of handwashing guidelines on pediatric nurses' knowledge and practices in the operating room at Cairo University specialized pediatric hospital

Pediatric nurses in the operating room are front-line heroes who save the lives of children by avoiding and preventing the infection by thoroughly washing their hands. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of Handwashing guidelines on pediatric nurses' knowledge and practices in the operating room. Design: One group pre-posttest quasi-experimental research design was utilized to achieve the aim of the current study. Setting: The current study was conducted in the operating room at Cairo University Specialized Pediatric Hospital (CUSPH). Sample: A Convenient sample of 30 nurses who were cared for children in the operating room at CUSPH. Was participated in the study. Tools: It was developed by the researchers, it included a structured interview questionnaire to assess personal and professional data of the nurse; nurses' knowledge assessment questionnaire to assess nurses' knowledge about hand wash measures, and nurses' practices checklist sheet to assess nurses' practice when handwashing guidelines applied. Results: The study results revealed that there were statistically significant differences between the total mean score of nurses' knowledge before and after receiving the hand wash guidelines as well as, nurses who received the environmental health and safety measures guidelines had a higher mean score of practice. Conclusion: The results of the current study concluded that nurses who receive the hand wash guidelines had a higher mean score of knowledge and the higher mean score of practice than before. Recommendation: Sustainable development. It is essential to raise the awareness of operating room nurses on handwashing guidelines through education and training courses. Providing nurses with continuous training programs on infection control measures and handwashing updates is a basic requirement for providing child care safety measures.

Environmental Health Impacts of Municipal Solid Waste Landfilling and Incineration in Different Health Systems: A Review

Background: Municipal solid waste management is a complex process involving many technological options. In this review, the effect of five different health systems was studied to assess the impacts of MSW landfilling and incineration according to three environmental health measures: global warming potential, acidification, and nutrient enrichment potentials. Further investigation was conducted to determine whether these differences changed our study approach regarding selecting the most appropriate management option. Content: Life cycle assessment was used to examine the environmental health impacts of all MSW management stages through four main phases: goal and scope, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment, and interpretation. Results were similar for Brazil, China, Lebanon, and Iran where global warming potential, acidification, and nutrient enrichment potentials were higher for landfills than for incinerators. In Canada, landfills produced fewer emissions. Summary: Such work can be helpful to choose the best environmentally friendly municipal solid waste management option based on the standards in Saudi Arabia. These results indicate that national health standards and policies determine these technologies’ environmental health impacts.

Ruptured Pulmonary Hydatid Cyst: A Case Report

Hydatid cyst disease (hydatidosis or echinococcosis) is an important parasitic disease in all societies engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, where environmental health and preventive medicine measures are insufficient. There are four different types of echinococci. The most common ones are echinococcus granulosus, which causes cystic echinococcosis, and echinococcus multilocularis, which causes alveolar echinococcosis. Lung hydatid cyst is a zoonotic infection caused by larval forms (metacestode) of echinococcus granulosus. In our case, a 77-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department with cough sputum and high fever. Thorax tomography was performed for further examination and treatment. The patient was hospitalized for thoracic surgery. This case is presented to emphasize the importance of physical examination and imaging methods in patients presenting to the emergency department with classic upper respiratory tract infection or community-acquired pneumonia clinic.

ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG ADULTS IN AREAS WITH DIFFERENT ECOLOGICAL RISKS IN THE ARAL SEA REGION, UZBEKISTAN

Aim. In this paper we present anthropometric characteristics of young adults permanently living in three areas with different ecological risks in the Aral Sea region. The main hypothesis is that the exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in early childhood combined with factor associated with Aral Sea disaster (ASD) may have consequences for body composition in adulthood. Methods. A cross-sectional study. Altogether, 33 anthropometric parameters including body mass, length, sizes of extremities, chest, pelvis, and skinfold thickness were measured in 320 volunteers (135 males, 175 females) born in 1990-1995 before implementation of measures for liquidation of the ASD consequences. The participants were divided into three groups by ecological characteristics of the place of residence: 1 - critical, 2 -relatively optimal and 3 - optimal. Numeric data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis tests with Mann-Whitney post-hoc tests with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Categorical data were compared using exact chi-squared tests for binomial distribution. Results. Young men living in critical area had significantly lower values for body mass, arm length, chest circumference, waist circumference, skinfold thickness compared to their counterparts in other groups. Women from the second group had significantly greater average values for all studied characteristics compared with the two other groups. Conclusions. Men from the most ecologically disadvantaged areas had signs of suboptimal bone development. The observed differences in arm length and the size of the major joints in men may by associated with the anti-androgenic effect of OCPs before and during puberty while the opposite pattern revealed in females may be partly explained by estrogenic effect of OCPs. Our findings are in line with the results from the literature on endocrine disruptor chemicals. Environmental monitoring and public health measures are needed to preserve and improve health of the population of the Aral Sea region.

COVID‐19 environmental transmission and preventive public health measures

COVID‐19 environmental transmission and preventive public health measures

Investigation of fungal contamination in indoor air and on surfaces of traditional public baths in a historical city.

It has been proven that exposure to bioaerosols is associated with several health effects, such as pulmonary diseases and allergies. The present cross-sectional study was aimed to investigate fungal contamination in indoor air and on the surfaces of four traditional baths in Shiraz, Iran, one of the most historical cities in the world. Samples were taken from indoor air, using a microbial air sampler, as well as the surfaces of the shower, hallway, and dressing rooms of studied baths for 3months. Totally 180 samples, including 45 air and 135 surfaces samples, were collected from studied baths. The concentrations of fungi collected from the air of studied baths were ranged from 22.6 to 34.6CFU/m3. Besides, the levels of fungi collected from the surface samples of studied baths were ranged from 21.2 to 60CFU/m2. The highest and lowest fungi species detected both in air and surfaces samples of the studied baths were Penicillium spp. and Mucor spp. respectively. Although the levels of fungi in the studied baths were lower than the levels recommended by the World Health Organization, some environmental health measures such as washing and disinfecting surfaces and tools after each working shift and periodic inspections are recommended ensuring the safety of costumers who are visiting such places.

Environmental rights in the Asia Pacific region: taking stock and assessing impacts

Since their emergence in the 1970s, human rights relating to environmental protection have spread all over the world and continue to find homes in an ever-growing list of national constitutions. These provisions mainly fall into one of three categories – substantive, procedural, or derivative environmental rights. Over the last two decades, the proliferation of these rights has caught the attention of legal scholars and social scientists, who have sought to catalogue their distribution and analyze the origins and impacts of this development. The literature in this area has provided anecdotal updates concerning environmental rights jurisprudence at the national and regional levels and global quantitative assessments regarding the effects that such rights have on humans and the environment. However, scant work offers regionally-focused empirical examinations of the variation of the presence and impacts of environmental rights. In an effort toward filling this gap, this article utilizes statistical techniques in order to determine what, if any, correlation exists between environmental rights and environmental performance in the Asia Pacific region. Preliminary results suggest that, over the past several years, countries with environmental rights have experienced strong improvements in ecosystem vitality but weak reductions in measures of environmental health. In addition, there is evidence of important intra-regional differences – South and South-West Asia lay claim to some of the world's most innovative environmental rights jurisprudence, while North and Central Asia possess the region's greatest concentration of constitutions featuring environmental rights. The article concludes with several recommendations for policy-makers in the region regarding the adoption and implementation of environmental rights.

Microbial assemblages and bioindicators as proxies for ecosystem health status: potential and limitations.

Microorganisms play fundamental roles in the diversity and functional stability of environments, including nutrient and energy cycling. However, microbial biodiversity loss and change because of global climate and land use change remain poorly understood. Many microbial taxa exhibit fast growth rates and are highly sensitive to environmental change. This suggests they have potential to be efficient biological indicators to assess and monitor the state of the habitats within which they occur. Here, we describe and illustrate a range of univariate and multivariate statistical approaches that can be used to identify effective microbial indicators of environmental perturbations and quantify changes in microbial communities. We show that the integration of multiple approaches, such as linear discriminant analysis effect size and indicator value analysis, is optimal for the quantification of the effects of perturbation on microbial communities. We demonstrate the most prevalent techniques using microbial community data derived from soils under different land uses. We discuss the limitations to the development and use of microbial bioindicators and identify future research directions, such as the creation of reliable, standardised reference databases to provide baseline metrics that are indicative of healthy microbial communities. If reliable and globally-relevant microbial indicators of environmental health can be developed, there is enormous potential for their use, both as a standalone monitoring tool and via their integration with existing physical, chemical and biological measures of environmental health.

Seeing Data in a New Light: Data Visualization Techniques to Improve Understanding

ObjectiveThe presenter will demonstrate complex health and environment surveillance data visualization techniques within the CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network.IntroductionIn 2002, the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program) to address the challenges and gaps in the nation’s environmental health surveillance infrastructure. The Tracking Program’s mission is to provide information from a nationwide network of integrated health and environmental data that drives actions to improve the health of communities. As a primary objective of the Tracking Program, the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) was developed as an online surveillance system with data available for 23 topics and over 450 different health, environmental, and population measures. The integration and display of such disparate data can be challenging. For data consumers without scientific training, or even scientists and public health professionals with limited time, it can be difficult to examine and explore the data in an online surveillance system. Additionally, casual data consumers may not require complex data details; a big picture perspective may be appropriate to their needs. The Tracking Network – which applies standardized data, a modern user interface, techniques catering to a variety of data consumers, and best practices in data visualization – provides a dynamic data query system that allows users to visualize different types of environmental health data in numerous ways including a variety of charting, mapping, and graphing options.MethodsAfter the Tracking Program identifies important environmental health topics, data standards are developed to aid in data validation and to ensure consistency and comparability of the data. The data are aggregated into standardized stratifications, summarized, and used to calculate environmental health measures. Visualization requirements for each measure are determined and developed on the Tracking Network. In addition, public health content are developed to provide important context for the user. The final step is the release of the environmental health measures onto the National Tracking Network, where they can be queried, visualized, compared, and analyzed with all of the other environmental health measures on the Tracking Network.ResultsLaunched in 2009, the Tracking Network developed at CDC is home to over 450 standardized environmental health measures spanning 23 topics and multiple years, and can be displayed at a geographic level of state, county, and census tract. The Tracking Network allows data consumers to interpret this data visually using tools including dynamic timeline maps, infographics, advanced charting and a streamlined user interface designed to be simple to use. With varying user levels in mind, this collection of tools provides a variety of avenues for the users to explore the data. Visualization results can be exported and embedded into other websites with data interpretation statements, benchmarks, and other visual cues that allow a broad audience to be able to access to environmental public health surveillance data.ConclusionsWhile the internet contains a wealth of health and environmental datasets, the Tracking Network provides a centralized location to access over 450 environmental health measures and provides a variety of visualization tools to translate the data into useful information. The speaker will present a range of display options available on the Tracking Network, highlight ways to present data for easy understanding and consumption, and provide a brief look into the future of data visualization.

Dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in healthy participants visually dependent in postural control

Background Adipocytokines may play a role in fetal programming of neurodevelopment. We aimed to investigate the associations between cord blood adipocytokine concentrations and children’s intelligence test scores.Methods We used data from two ongoing pregnancy cohorts in North America: the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC, n = 429) and Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME, n = 183) Studies. Umbilical cord blood adipocytokine concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We assessed children’s Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and its components using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence-III or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV. We used linear regression and linear mixed models to estimate associations between log2-transformed adipocytokine concentrations and children’s IQ after adjusting for sociodemographic, perinatal, and child factors.Results After adjusting for covariates, cord blood adiponectin was positively associated with children’s full-scale IQ scores at age 3 years in the MIREC Study (β = 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2, 2.5) and at ages 5 and 8 years in the HOME Study (β = 1.7, CI: −0.1, 3.5). Adiponectin was positively associated with performance IQ in both studies (MIREC: β = 2.0, CI: 0.7, 3.3; HOME: β = 2.2, CI: 0.5, 3.9). Adiponectin was positively associated with working memory composite scores at age 8 in the HOME Study (β = 3.1, CI: 1.0, 5.2). Leptin was not associated with children’s IQ in either study.Conclusions Cord blood adiponectin was associated with higher full-scale and performance IQ and working memory composite scores in children. Future studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these associations.

The body-oriented therapy has positive effect on executive abilities in children with attention deficit

Background Adipocytokines may play a role in fetal programming of neurodevelopment. We aimed to investigate the associations between cord blood adipocytokine concentrations and children’s intelligence test scores.Methods We used data from two ongoing pregnancy cohorts in North America: the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC, n = 429) and Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME, n = 183) Studies. Umbilical cord blood adipocytokine concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We assessed children’s Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and its components using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence-III or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV. We used linear regression and linear mixed models to estimate associations between log2-transformed adipocytokine concentrations and children’s IQ after adjusting for sociodemographic, perinatal, and child factors.Results After adjusting for covariates, cord blood adiponectin was positively associated with children’s full-scale IQ scores at age 3 years in the MIREC Study (β = 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2, 2.5) and at ages 5 and 8 years in the HOME Study (β = 1.7, CI: −0.1, 3.5). Adiponectin was positively associated with performance IQ in both studies (MIREC: β = 2.0, CI: 0.7, 3.3; HOME: β = 2.2, CI: 0.5, 3.9). Adiponectin was positively associated with working memory composite scores at age 8 in the HOME Study (β = 3.1, CI: 1.0, 5.2). Leptin was not associated with children’s IQ in either study.Conclusions Cord blood adiponectin was associated with higher full-scale and performance IQ and working memory composite scores in children. Future studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these associations.

Directions for and prospects of the Environmental Health Study in Korean National Industrial Complexes (EHSNIC): A proposal for the third phase of the EHSNIC.

The Environmental Health Study in the Korean National Industrial Complexes (EHSNIC) is a project that aims to monitor the exposure and health effects of environmental pollution among residents of national industrial complexes, as well as propose appropriate environmental health measures. Since its launch in 2003, this project has been initiated in eight national industrial complexes. Currently, it is necessary to review the accomplishments and limitations of the phases 1 and 2 of this project, and establish the direction of the upcoming the phase 3. Thus, the present study has developed principles and goals for the phase 3, considering the rationale and justification of the EHSNIC, and presented specific research contents accordingly. In the phase 3, it is important to improve the methods for exposure assessment and evaluation of health effects, in order to identify clearly the association between the pollutants released from industrial complexes and their health impacts, to develop and to reinforce communication strategies to promote participation of residents of communities near industrial complexes. Nonetheless, it is also important to maintain the basic goal of continuously monitoring the level of exposure to and health effects of environmental pollutants.