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Environmental Pollution and Thyroid
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Environmental Pollution and Thyroid

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 September 2020) | Viewed by 27692

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Bianchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: environmental epidemiology; statistics; environment and health research; reproductive epidemiology; clinical epidemiology; medical statistics; diseases registries; public health surveillance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesca Gorini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: environmental pollution; environmental epidemiology; endocrine disruptors; thyroid diseases; thyroid cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are organizing a Special Issue on the impact of environmental pollution on thyroid in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The venue is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes articles and communications in the interdisciplinary area of environmental health sciences and public health. For detailed information on the journal, we refer you to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph.

The proposed Special Issue is intended to cover the evaluation of the association between human exposure to environmental pollutants and its effects on thyroid. Through the production of thyroid hormones (THs), the thyroid gland exerts a crucial function during all stages of life, as it regulates growth, metabolism, and development. Thus, any interference with TH homeostasis may potentially lead to an impact on health.

Moreover, the incidence of thyroid cancer has dramatically increased worldwide over the past several decades, and a growing body of evidence supports the high susceptibility of the thyroid to environmental chemicals (e.g., organic compounds and heavy metals) exhibiting thyroid-disrupting properties, which may act through mechanisms that still need to be completely elucidated. Within this Special Issue, etiological studies—mostly in humans—as well as relevant reviews are invited. Given the multifactorial etiopathogenesis of thyroid dysfunction and the variety of substances and compounds that populations are exposed to daily, epidemiological research on all thyroid diseases as well as on biomarkers of early physiological changes and pre-clinical damages are welcome. Such advancements would be desirable to provide a more accurate exposure assessment and an important public health instrument for identifying early markers and preventing diseases.

This Special Issue is open to any subject area related to the impact of environmental pollution on the thyroid. The keywords below suggest just a few of the many possibilities.

Dr. Fabrizio Bianchi
Dr. Francesca Gorini
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

  • Environmental pollution
  • Endocrine-disrupting chemicals
  • EDCs
  • Thyroid
  • Thyroid hormones
  • Thyroid cancer

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 284 KiB  
Editorial
COVID-19 and Thyroid: Progress and Prospects
by Francesca Gorini, Fabrizio Bianchi and Giorgio Iervasi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(18), 6630; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186630 - 11 Sep 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3738
Abstract
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread worldwide. A number of serious effects on various organs and systems have been reported in humans, and recently emerging evidence on the potential association [...] Read more.
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread worldwide. A number of serious effects on various organs and systems have been reported in humans, and recently emerging evidence on the potential association between the infection and thyroid dysfunction are attracting attention from the scientific community. This editorial critically summarizes the main findings on this topic published so far and defines research lines according to the translational approach from the bench to the bed to epidemiological studies and back again, aimed at patient care and effective public health measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Thyroid)

Research

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16 pages, 804 KiB  
Article
Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in Italian Contaminated Sites
by Marta Benedetti, Amerigo Zona, Paolo Contiero, Eleonora D’Armiento, Ivano Iavarone and AIRTUM Working Group
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(1), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010191 - 29 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2137
Abstract
Some human literature suggests a possible role of endocrine disruptors (EDs) exposure in thyroid cancer (TC) development. We investigated TC incidence in selected Italian National Priority Contaminated Sites (NPCS) with documented presence of EDs considered thyroid carcinogens. Adjusted Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs), with [...] Read more.
Some human literature suggests a possible role of endocrine disruptors (EDs) exposure in thyroid cancer (TC) development. We investigated TC incidence in selected Italian National Priority Contaminated Sites (NPCS) with documented presence of EDs considered thyroid carcinogens. Adjusted Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs), with their 90% confidence intervals, were computed by gender, and age-specific groups (aged 15–39 years, and 40 years or over) for each NPCS in the period 2006 to 2013. In the age group of 15–39 years, a significant excess of TC risk was found in two NPCSs in males; non-significant excess risks were observed in four NPCSs in males, and in five in females. In the age group of 40 years and over, significant excess risks were found in six NPCSs in males and in seven NPCSs in females; non-significant excess risks were identified in two NPCSs in males and females. The findings of several excesses in incidence, mainly observed in adults aged 40 years or over, are suggestive of a possible adverse effect associated with residence in NPCSs, even if a role of other factors cannot be excluded, due to the adoption of an ecological study design. Future analytical studies are needed to clarify if EDs are a TC risk factor for individuals living in NPCSs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Thyroid)
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8 pages, 314 KiB  
Article
Ecological Study on Thyroid Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Association with European Union Member States’ Air Pollution
by Evanthia Giannoula, Christos Melidis, Savvas Frangos, Nikitas Papadopoulos, Georgia Koutsouki and Ioannis Iakovou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(1), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010153 - 28 Dec 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2576
Abstract
Over the last few decades, thyroid cancer incidence has had a significant increase. Despite well-known genetic and epigenetic factors (radiation, overdiagnosis, already existing benign thyroid tumors), the effect of air pollution on its incidence and mortality has not yet been fully elucidated. In [...] Read more.
Over the last few decades, thyroid cancer incidence has had a significant increase. Despite well-known genetic and epigenetic factors (radiation, overdiagnosis, already existing benign thyroid tumors), the effect of air pollution on its incidence and mortality has not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, air pollution data from 27 EU member states is used in order to analyze its association with thyroid cancer incidence, and mortality and socioeconomic factors are examined as confounders. This ecological study used age standardized thyroid cancer incidence and mortality rates per 100,000 people for the year 2012 from 27 EU member states, collected from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization and European Cancer. Data regarding mean air pollutant mass concentrations for 1992, 2002 and 2012 was collected from the European Environment Agency. Data analysis was carried out using Prism 5.0 and SPSS v.20. Multiple regression analysis showed a statistically significant positive association between thyroid cancer incidence in men and the environmental 2012 masse of Benzo (k) Fluoranthene (r2 = 0.2142, p = 0.042) and HexaChlorocycloHexane (r2 = 0.9993, p = 0.0166). Additionally, a statistically significant positive association was observed between the thyroid cancer mortality rate in men and the 1992 environmental concentrations of Hg (r2 = 0.1704, p = 0.043). Data indicates that some air pollutants may have an effect on increased thyroid cancer incidence and mortality, at least in men. However, causal relationships cannot be fully supported via ecological studies, and this article only focuses on the EU and uses only three distinct time periods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Thyroid)
9 pages, 1884 KiB  
Article
Is the Increasing Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in the Nordic Countries Caused by Use of Mobile Phones?
by Michael Carlberg, Tarmo Koppel, Lena K. Hedendahl and Lennart Hardell
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(23), 9129; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17239129 - 07 Dec 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 10285
Abstract
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the World Health Organization (WHO) categorized in 2011 radiofrequency (RF) as a possible human carcinogen, Group 2B. During use of the handheld wireless phone, especially the smartphone, the thyroid gland is a target organ. [...] Read more.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the World Health Organization (WHO) categorized in 2011 radiofrequency (RF) as a possible human carcinogen, Group 2B. During use of the handheld wireless phone, especially the smartphone, the thyroid gland is a target organ. During the 21st century, the incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing in many countries. We used the Swedish Cancer Register to study trends from 1970 to 2017. During that time period, the incidence increased statistically significantly in women with average annual percentage change (AAPC) +2.13%, 95% confidence interval (CI) +1.43, +2.83%. The increase was especially pronounced during 2010–2017 with annual percentage change (APC) +9.65%, 95% CI +6.68, +12.71%. In men, AAPC increased during 1970–2017 with +1.49%, 95% CI +0.71, +2.28%. Highest increase was found for the time period 2001–2017 with APC +5.26%, 95% CI +4.05, +6.49%. Similar results were found for all Nordic countries based on NORDCAN 1970–2016 with APC +5.83%, 95% CI +4.56, +7.12 in women from 2006 to 2016 and APC + 5.48%, 95% CI +3.92, +7.06% in men from 2005 to 2016. According to the Swedish Cancer Register, the increasing incidence was similar for tumors ≤4 cm as for tumors >4 cm, indicating that the increase cannot be explained by overdiagnosis. These results are in agreement with recent results on increased thyroid cancer risk associated with the use of mobile phones. We postulate that RF radiation is a causative factor for the increasing thyroid cancer incidence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Thyroid)
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Review

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18 pages, 433 KiB  
Review
New Insights into Mechanisms of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Thyroid Diseases: The Epigenetic Way
by Letizia Pitto, Francesca Gorini, Fabrizio Bianchi and Elena Guzzolino
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(21), 7787; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217787 - 24 Oct 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2959
Abstract
In recent years, the presence in the environment of chemical compounds with thyroid-disrupting effects is progressively increased. This phenomenon has risen concern for human health as the preservation of thyroid system homeostasis is essential for fetal development and for maintaining psychological and physiological [...] Read more.
In recent years, the presence in the environment of chemical compounds with thyroid-disrupting effects is progressively increased. This phenomenon has risen concern for human health as the preservation of thyroid system homeostasis is essential for fetal development and for maintaining psychological and physiological wellbeing. An increasing number of studies explored the role of different classes of toxicants in the occurrence and severity of thyroid diseases, but large epidemiological studies are limited and only a few animal or in vitro studies have attempted to identify the mechanisms of chemical action. Recently, epigenetic changes such as alteration of methylation status or modification of non-coding RNAs have been suggested as correlated to possible deleterious effects leading to different thyroid disorders in susceptible individuals. This review aims to analyze the epigenetic alterations putatively induced by chemical exposures and involved in the onset of frequent thyroid diseases such as thyroid cancer, autoimmune thyroiditis and disruption of fetal thyroid homeostasis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Thyroid)
46 pages, 933 KiB  
Review
Bisphenols as Environmental Triggers of Thyroid Dysfunction: Clues and Evidence
by Francesca Gorini, Elisa Bustaffa, Alessio Coi, Giorgio Iervasi and Fabrizio Bianchi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(8), 2654; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082654 - 13 Apr 2020
Cited by 58 | Viewed by 5270
Abstract
Bisphenols (BPs), and especially bisphenol A (BPA), are known endocrine disruptors (EDCs), capable of interfering with estrogen and androgen activities, as well as being suspected of other health outcomes. Given the crucial role of thyroid hormones and the increasing incidence of thyroid carcinoma [...] Read more.
Bisphenols (BPs), and especially bisphenol A (BPA), are known endocrine disruptors (EDCs), capable of interfering with estrogen and androgen activities, as well as being suspected of other health outcomes. Given the crucial role of thyroid hormones and the increasing incidence of thyroid carcinoma in the last few decades, this review analyzes the effects of BPS on the thyroid, considering original research in vitro, in vivo, and in humans published from January 2000 to October 2019. Both in vitro and in vivo studies reported the ability of BPs to disrupt thyroid function through multiple mechanisms. The antagonism with thyroid receptors (TRs), which affects TR-mediated transcriptional activity, the direct action of BPs on gene expression at the thyroid and the pituitary level, the competitive binding with thyroid transport proteins, and the induction of toxicity in several cell lines are likely the main mechanisms leading to thyroid dysfunction. In humans, results are more contradictory, though some evidence suggests the potential of BPs in increasing the risk of thyroid nodules. A standardized methodology in toxicological studies and prospective epidemiological studies with individual exposure assessments are warranted to evaluate the pathophysiology resulting in the damage and to establish the temporal relationship between markers of exposure and long-term effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Thyroid)
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