Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) is a monthly journal of peer-reviewed research and news on the impact of the environment on human health. EHP is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and its content is free online. Print issues are available by paid subscription.DISCLAIMER
Environmental Threats to Children's Health in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific William A. Suk, Kuhnying Mathuros Ruchirawat, Kalpana Balakrishnan, Martha Berger, David Carpenter, Terri Damstra, Jenny Pronczuk de Garbino, David Koh, Philip J. Landrigan, Irma Makalinao, Peter D. Sly, Y. Xu, and B.S. Zheng
Environ Health Perspect doi:10.1289/ehp.6059 (2003)
Organochlorines, Lead, and Mercury in Akwesasne Mohawk Youth Lawrence M. Schell,1,2 Lech A. Hubicki,3 Anthony P. DeCaprio,4 Mia V. Gallo,2 Julia Ravenscroft,2 Alice Tarbell,5 Agnes Jacobs,5 Dawn David,5 Priscilla Worswick,5 and the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment
Environ Health Perspect doi:10.1289/ehp.5990 (2003)
Temporal Trends in Orchidopexy
Mireille B. Toledano, Anna L. Hansell, Lars Jarup, Mike Quinn, Susan Jick, and Paul Elliott
Environ Health Perspect 110p129(2003)
Blood Lead Level and Dental Caries in School-Age Children.
Allison Gemmel, Mary Tavares, Susan Alperin, Jennifer Soncini, David Daniel, Julie Dunn, Sybil Crawford, Norman Braveman, Thomas W. Clarkson, Sonja McKinlay, and David C. Bellinge.
Environ Health Perspect 110pA625-A630 (2002).
David E. Jacobs, Robert P. Clickner, Joey Y. Zhou, Susan M. Viet, David A. Marker, John W. Rogers, Darryl C. Zeldin, Pamela Broene, and Warren Friedman.
Hestien J.I. Vreugdenhil, Froukje M. E. Slijper, Paul G.H. Mulder, and Nynke Weisglas-Kuperus.
Environ Health Perspect 110pA593-A598 (2002).
August
Methemoglobinemia Risk Factors in Children
Zeman et al. investigated the risk factors for methemoglobinemia (MHG) in children in Transylvania, Romania. Analysis showed that MHG was strongly associated with nitrate/nitrite exposure in the diet (formula and tea made with water containing high levels of nitrates) and that breast-feeding protects infants younger than 6 months of age.
Catherine L. Zeman, Burton Kross, and Marianna Vlad (110N8: 817-822, 2002)
Environmental Histories in Pediatric Practice
Kilpatrick et al. conducted a mail survey of practicing pediatricians in Georgia to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding recording patients' environmental histories. Fewer than one in five reported training in environmental history-taking. Because of a growing interest in pediatric environmental health, there is considerable opportunity for training and for increasing the frequency of this activity.
Nikki Kilpatrick, Howard Frumkin, Jane Trowbridge, Cam Escoffery, Robert Geller, Leslie Rubin, Gerald Teague, and Janice Nodvin (110N8: 823-827, 2002)
Children's Pesticide Exposure and Agricultural Spraying
Koch et al. analyzed urine samples for metabolites common to organophosphorus pesticide exposures in children. They report a temporal pattern of exposure over a full year and show that spraying can increase children's exposure in absence of parental work contact with pesticides or residential proximity to pesticide-treated orchards.
Denise Koch, Chensheng Lu, Jennifer Fisker-Andersen, Lance Jolley, and Richard A. Fenske (110N8:829-833, 2002)
Organochlorines in Cord Blood of Newborns
Dallaire et al. describe time trends of organochlorines (14 polychlorinated biphenyls and 11 chlorinated pesticides) in umbilical cord plasma of newborns in a remote Canadian coastal population. These results show that prenatal exposure to organochlorines has significantly declined between 1993 and 2000 in this population.
Frédéric Dallaire, Éric Dewailly, Claire Laliberté, Gina Muckle, and Pierre Ayotte (110N8: 835-838, 2002)
July
The Costs of Children's Exposure to Pollutants
Examining four categories of illness--lead poisoning, asthma, cancer, and neurobehavioral disorders--Landrigan et al. estimated the contribution of environmental pollutants to the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and costs of pediatric disease. Total annual costs are estimated to be $54.9 billion, amounting to 2.8% of total U.S. health care costs.
Philip J. Landrigan, Clyde B. Schechter, Jeffrey M. Lipton, Marianne C. Fahs, and Joel Schwartz (110N7: 721-728, 2002)
Genetic Patterns in Methylation
Chung et al. investigated the evidence of a familial contribution to urinary methylation patterns in families ingesting arsenic in drinking water. They observed that methylation patterns aggregate in families and are correlated in siblings, demonstrating a genetic basis for the variation in arsenic methylation.
Joyce S. Chung, David A. Kalman, Lee E. Moore, Michael J. Kosnett, Alex P. Arroyo, Martin Beeris, D. N. Guha Mazumder, Alexandra L. Hernandez, and Allan H. Smith (110N7: 729-733, 2002)
June
Teen Smoking and Lung Cancer
Wiencke and Kelsey hypothesize that rapid lung development during adolescence may constitute a "critical period" for tobacco carcinogens to induce genetic alterations, and make the early smoker more susceptible to damage from continued smoking. Targeted intervention in adolescent smoking may yield greater reductions in lung cancer than otherwise anticipated.
John K. Wiencke and Karl T. Kelsey (110N5: 555-558, 2002)
Lead Poisoning in Russian Children
Rubin et al. examined blood lead and hemoglobin in Russian kindergarten children in proximity to industry and traffic corridors. They suggest that lead-contaminated soil and dust, which can result from lead-containing automotive fuel and lead-related industrial emissions, may be the most important routes of lead exposure. (Also see Science Selections, p. A310)
Carol H. Rubin, Emilio Esteban, Dori B. Reissman, W. Randolph Daley, Gary P. Noonan, Adam Karpati, Elena Gurvitch, Sergio V. Kuzmin, Larissa I. Privalova, Alexander Zukov, and Alexander Zlepko (110N6: 559-562, 2002)
Reduction in Children's Lead Exposure Equals Economic Gain
Grosse et al. quantified economic benefits from projected improvements in worker productivity resulting from the reduction in children's exposure to lead in the United States since 1976. On the basis of each year's cohort of 3.8 million 2-year-old children, the authors estimated an economic benefit of $110 billion to $319 billion. (Also see Science Selections, p. A310)
Scott D. Grosse, Thomas D. Matte, Joel Schwartz, and Richard J. Jackson (110N6: 563-569, 2002)
House Mite Atopy and Children's Lung Function
Jedrychowski et al. obtained spirometry indices (forced vital capacity, expiratory volume, and expiratory flow), on children over a 3-year period. Multivariate regression analysis showed progressive decrement of lung function with increasing degree of house mite atopy, which may reflect the inflammatory status of bronchial airways in the symptomatic subjects.
Particulate Matter and Asthma Hospitalization of Children
Lin et al. assessed the associations between size-fractionated particulate matter and asthma hospitalization among 6- to 12-year-old children living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, between 1981 and 1993. Analyses revealed that coarse particulate matter (2.5-10 µm in aerodynamic diameter) averaged over 5-6 days was significantly associated with asthma hospitalization in both males and females.
Mei Lin,1 Yue Chen, Richard T. Burnett, Paul J. Villeneuve, and Daniel Krewski (110N6: 575-581, 2002)
PCBs in Adolescents
Nawrot et al. measured polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (PCAHs) in teenagers living near a smelter and an incinerator in Belgium. They suggest that host factors are important determinants of the serum concentrations of PCAHs, whereas environmentally related determinants may contribute to human exposure to these chemicals in the environment.
Tim S. Nawrot, Jan A. Staessen, Elly M. Den Hond, Gudrun Koppen, Greet Schoeters, Robert Fagard, Lutgarde Thijs, Gerhard Winneke, and Harry A. Roels (110N6: 583-589, 2002)
Genetic Variation, Trihalomethanes, and Leukemia
In a study to determine whether the risk of childhood leukemia associated with drinking water disinfection by-products was modified by gene variants involved in the metabolism of trihalomethanes (THMs), Infante-Rivard et al. report suggestive but imprecise results, underscoring the potential usefulness of combining exposure and relevant genetic information in such studies.
Claire Infante-Rivard, Devendra Amre, and Daniel Sinnett (110N6: 591-593, 2002)
Immunologic Biomarkers of PCBs in Flemish Adolescents
Van Den Heuvel et al. investigated humoral and cellular immunity and respiratory complaints in Belgian teenagers to determine whether changes were related to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin-like compounds after lifetime exposure. The authors found an association with polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons and suggest that exposure may entail alterations in the immune status.
Rosette L. Van Den Heuvel, Gudrun Koppen, Jan A. Staessen, Elly Den Hond, Geert Verheyen, Tim S. Nawrot, Harry A. Roels, Robert Vlietinck, and Greet E.R. Schoeters (110N6: 595-600, 2002)
Effect of Environmental Tobacco Smoke on Birth Weight
Dejmek et al. studied the effects of maternal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke on birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) in 6,866 singleton births via maternal questionnaires and medical records. Birth weight but not IUGR was reduced in nonsmoking mothers and contributed to additional birth weight reductions in mothers who
Jan Dejmek, Ivo Solansk´y, Katerina Podrazilová, and Radim J. Srám (110N6: 601-606, 2002)
