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Environmental Exposures and Epidemiological Studies on Maternal and Child Health
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Environmental Exposures and Epidemiological Studies on Maternal and Child Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 29735

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yu Ait Bamai

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Guest Editor
Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
Interests: birth cohort; endocrine disrupting chemicals; asthma and allergies; indoor environments and health
Dr. Tomohiko Isobe

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office, Health and Environmental Risk Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-0053, Ibaraki, Japan
Interests: development of analytical method for environmental contaminants in biological/environmental matrices; human biomonitoring of environmental contaminants; quality control and quality assurance of exposure assessment
Dr. Po-Chin Huang

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
1. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli 350, Taiwan
2. Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National United University, Miaoli 360, Taiwan
3. Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan
4. Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 701, Taiwan
5. Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Interests: epidemiology; exposure science; biomonitoring; risk assessment; endocrine disruptors; biomarker
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Catarina Almeida Sousa

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Assistant Guest Editor
CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: endocrine disrupting chemicals; human exposure pathways; indoor environment; obesogens
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adverse health effects resulting from exposure to environmental contaminants on maternal and child health have been of major concern worldwide. There are multiple known hazardous environmental factors. Toxic metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), endocrine disruptors, outdoor and indoor air pollution, emerging environmental pollution, radiation, and socioeconomic status are well-known determinants of environmental exposure factors. After the regulations of many contaminants, such as toxic metals and POPs, their exposure levels may dramatically decrease; however, they are still used and can be detected in both humans and the environment. Exposure to some newly synthesized chemicals or substitutes and indoor and outdoor air pollution have been concerned due to potential adverse health effects, since people are ubiquitously exposed to these contaminants.
Exposure during pregnancy and childhood is a harmful exposure time window, which impacts child growth and development including neurodevelopment, endocrine system disruption such as immune function, reproductive hormones, and puberty development. Women’s health at reproductive age is also important, as prenatal and postpartum maternal health are critical to the mother’s physical and mental well-being and contribute to care to newborn child at birth and years thereafter. However, there are still knowledge gaps on the effects of the environmental exposures on the maternal and/or child health.
This Special Issue calls for submissions that focus on research investigating associations between environmental exposures and maternal and/or child health, especially through epidemiological, biomonitoring, and/or exposome approaches.

Dr. Yu Ait Bamai
Dr. Isobe Tomohiko
Dr. Po-Chin Huang
Dr. Ana Catarina Almeida Sousa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • epidemiology;
  • risk assessment;
  • prenatal exposure;
  • postnatal exposure;
  • emerging environmental pollutants;
  • indoor environments;
  • socio-behavior impact;
  • child health;
  • child developments;
  • maternal health

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 862 KiB  
Article
earlyMYCO: A Pilot Mother-Child Cohort Study to Assess Early-Life Exposure to Mycotoxins—Challenges and Lessons Learned
by Carla Martins, Ricardo Assunção, Ana Costa, Débora Serrano, Lia Visintin, Marthe De Boevre, Carl Lachat, Arnau Vidal, Sarah De Saeger, Sónia Namorado, Cristina Vidigal, Elisabete Almeida, Paula Alvito and Carla Nunes
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7716; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137716 - 23 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2033
Abstract
Early-life exposure occurs during gestation through transfer to the fetus and later, during lactation. Recent monitoring data revealed that the Portuguese population is exposed to mycotoxins, including young children. This study aimed to develop a pilot study to assess the early-life exposure to [...] Read more.
Early-life exposure occurs during gestation through transfer to the fetus and later, during lactation. Recent monitoring data revealed that the Portuguese population is exposed to mycotoxins, including young children. This study aimed to develop a pilot study to assess the early-life exposure to mycotoxins through a mother–child cohort, and to identify the associated challenges. Participants were recruited during pregnancy (1st trimester) and followed-up in three moments of observation: 2nd trimester of pregnancy (mother), and 1st and 6th month of the child’s life (mother and child), with the collection of biological samples and sociodemographic and food consumption data. The earlyMYCO pilot study enrolled 19 mother–child pairs. The analysis of biological samples from participants revealed the presence of 4 out of 15 and 5 out of 18 mycotoxins’ biomarkers of exposure in urine and breast milk samples, respectively. The main aspects identified as contributors for the successful development of the cohort were the multidisciplinary and dedicated team members in healthcare units, reduced burden of participation, and the availability of healthcare units for the implementation of the fieldwork. Challenges faced, lessons learned, and suggestions were discussed as a contribution for the development of further studies in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Exposures and Epidemiological Studies on Maternal and Child Health)
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21 pages, 6624 KiB  
Article
Air Pollution during Pregnancy and Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorder in Taiwan
by Shu-Yuan Wang, Ya-Yun Cheng, How-Ran Guo and Yen-Cheng Tseng
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9784; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189784 - 17 Sep 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4627
Abstract
Air pollutants have been linked to some diseases in humans, but their effects on the nervous system were less frequently evaluated. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurondevelopmental disorders of which the etiology is still unknown. We conducted a study in [...] Read more.
Air pollutants have been linked to some diseases in humans, but their effects on the nervous system were less frequently evaluated. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurondevelopmental disorders of which the etiology is still unknown. We conducted a study in Taiwan to evaluate the possible associations between prenatal exposure to air pollutants and ASD. From a random sample of one million people in the National Insurance Research Database, we identified all the infants born between 1996 and 2000. We followed them till the end of 2013 and identified cases of ASD. We traced back the mothers’ residence and assessed the exposure to air pollutants using the data obtained from the air quality monitoring database maintained by the government, which included ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matters with diameter less than 10 µm (PM10). Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to evaluate the associations between childhood ASD and exposures to the pollutants in the three trimesters and the whole gestation. We identified a total of 63,376 newborns and included 62,919 as the study cohort. After adjusting for other risk factors, we observed trimester-specific associations between levels of CO, NO2, and PM10 and the risk of childhood ASD. An increase of 1 ppm of CO in the first, second, and third trimester was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.93 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.55–2.39), 1.77 (95%CI: 1.41–2.22), and 1.75 (95%CI: 1.39–2.21), respectively. An increase of 10 ppb in the level of NO2 in the first, second, and third trimester was associated with an HR of 1.39 (95%CI: 1.22–1.58), 1.25 (95%CI: 1.10–1.42), and 1.18 (95%CI: 1.03–1.34), respectively. In conclusion, we found that exposures to CO and NO2 in all three trimesters were associated with increased risks of developing ASD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Exposures and Epidemiological Studies on Maternal and Child Health)
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15 pages, 753 KiB  
Article
The Association of Familial Hypertension and Risk of Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia
by Małgorzata Lewandowska
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 7045; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137045 - 1 Jul 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4043
Abstract
It has not been established how history of hypertension in the father or mother of pregnant women, combined with obesity or smoking, affects the risk of main forms of pregnancy-induced hypertension. A cohort of 912 pregnant women, recruited in the first trimester, was [...] Read more.
It has not been established how history of hypertension in the father or mother of pregnant women, combined with obesity or smoking, affects the risk of main forms of pregnancy-induced hypertension. A cohort of 912 pregnant women, recruited in the first trimester, was assessed; 113 (12.4%) women developed gestational hypertension (GH), 24 (2.6%) developed preeclampsia (PE) and 775 women remained normotensive (a control group). Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) (and 95% confidence intervals) of GH and PE for chronic hypertension in the father or mother of pregnant women. Some differences were discovered. (1) Paternal hypertension (vs. absence of hypertension in the family) was an independent risk factor for GH (AOR-a = 1.98 (1.2–3.28), p = 0.008). This odds ratio increased in pregnant women who smoked in the first trimester (AOR-a = 4.71 (1.01–21.96); p = 0.048) or smoked before pregnancy (AOR-a = 3.15 (1.16–8.54); p = 0.024), or had pre-pregnancy overweight (AOR-a = 2.67 (1.02–7.02); p = 0.046). (2) Maternal hypertension (vs. absence of hypertension in the family) was an independent risk factor for preeclampsia (PE) (AOR-a = 3.26 (1.3–8.16); p = 0.012). This odds ratio increased in the obese women (AOR-a = 6.51 (1.05–40.25); p = 0.044) and (paradoxically) in women who had never smoked (AOR-a = 5.31 (1.91–14.8); p = 0.001). Conclusions: Chronic hypertension in the father or mother affected the risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension in different ways. Modifiable factors (overweight/obesity and smoking) may exacerbate the relationships in question, however, paradoxically, beneficial effects of smoking for preeclampsia risk are also possible. Importantly, paternal and maternal hypertension were not independent risk factors for GH/PE in a subgroup of women with normal body mass index (BMI). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Exposures and Epidemiological Studies on Maternal and Child Health)
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16 pages, 592 KiB  
Article
Hypertensive Disorders during Pregnancy (HDP), Maternal Characteristics, and Birth Outcomes among Japanese Women: A Hokkaido Study
by Kritika Poudel, Sumitaka Kobayashi, Chihiro Miyashita, Atsuko Ikeda-Araki, Naomi Tamura, Yu Ait Bamai, Sachiko Itoh, Keiko Yamazaki, Hideyuki Masuda, Mariko Itoh, Kumiko Ito and Reiko Kishi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3342; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073342 - 24 Mar 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5048
Abstract
Hypertension during pregnancy causes a greater risk of adverse birth outcomes worldwide; however, formal evidence of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy (HDP) in Japan is limited. We aimed to understand the association between maternal characteristics, HDP, and birth outcomes. In total, 18,833 mother-infant pairs [...] Read more.
Hypertension during pregnancy causes a greater risk of adverse birth outcomes worldwide; however, formal evidence of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy (HDP) in Japan is limited. We aimed to understand the association between maternal characteristics, HDP, and birth outcomes. In total, 18,833 mother-infant pairs were enrolled in the Hokkaido study on environment and children’s health, Japan, from 2002 to 2013. Medical records were used to identify hypertensive disorders and birth outcomes, namely, small for gestational age (SGA), SGA at full term (term-SGA), preterm birth (PTB), and low birth weight (LBW). The prevalence of HDP was 1.9%. Similarly, the prevalence of SGA, term-SGA, PTB, and LBW were 7.1%, 6.3%, 7.4%, and 10.3%, respectively. The mothers with HDP had increased odds of giving birth to babies with SGA (2.13; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.57, 2.88), PTB (3.48; 95%CI: 2.68, 4.50), LBW (3.57; 95%CI: 2.83, 4.51) than normotensive pregnancy. Elderly pregnancy, low and high body mass index, active and passive smoking exposure, and alcohol consumption were risk factors for different birth outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial for women of reproductive age and their families to be made aware of these risk factors through physician visits, health education, and various community-based health interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Exposures and Epidemiological Studies on Maternal and Child Health)
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Review

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21 pages, 441 KiB  
Review
A Review of Recent Studies on Bisphenol A and Phthalate Exposures and Child Neurodevelopment
by Machiko Minatoya and Reiko Kishi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3585; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073585 - 30 Mar 2021
Cited by 53 | Viewed by 7154
Abstract
Purpose of Review: Bisphenol A and phthalate have been found in the environment, as well as in humans. In this narrative review pre- and postnatal bisphenol A and phthalate exposures, their relationship to neurodevelopment, and the behavioral outcomes of children are elucidated, focusing [...] Read more.
Purpose of Review: Bisphenol A and phthalate have been found in the environment, as well as in humans. In this narrative review pre- and postnatal bisphenol A and phthalate exposures, their relationship to neurodevelopment, and the behavioral outcomes of children are elucidated, focusing in particular on the recent case-control, cross-sectional, and longitudinal studies. This review also introduces some of the possible mechanisms behind the observed associations between exposures and outcomes. Recent Findings: Although bisphenol A and phthalate exposure have been reported to influence neurobehavioral development in children, there are various kinds of test batteries for child neurodevelopmental assessment at different ages whose findings have been inconsistent among studies. In addition, the timing and number of exposure assessments have varied. Summary: Overall, this review suggests that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A and phthalates may contribute to neurobehavioral outcomes in children. The evidence is still limited; however, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, especially among boys, constantly suggested association with both prenatal and concurrent exposure to bisphenol A. Although there is limited evidence on the adverse effects of prenatal and postnatal bisphenol A and phthalate exposures provided, pregnant women and young children should be protected from exposure based on a precautionary approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Exposures and Epidemiological Studies on Maternal and Child Health)
19 pages, 1359 KiB  
Review
Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field in the High-Frequency Band and Cognitive Function in Children and Adolescents: A Literature Review
by Toru Ishihara, Keiko Yamazaki, Atsuko Araki, Yuri Teraoka, Naomi Tamura, Takashi Hikage, Manabu Omiya, Masahiro Mizuta and Reiko Kishi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(24), 9179; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249179 - 8 Dec 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4854
Abstract
With increasing use of mobile phones, exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) in the high-frequency band associated with mobile phones has become a public concern, with potentially adverse effects on cognitive function in children and adolescents. However, findings regarding the relation of RF-EMF [...] Read more.
With increasing use of mobile phones, exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) in the high-frequency band associated with mobile phones has become a public concern, with potentially adverse effects on cognitive function in children and adolescents. However, findings regarding the relation of RF-EMF and cognitive function in children and adolescents have been inconsistent due to a number of study design-related factors, such as types of exposure and outcome measures, age of participants, and the era of study conduction. The present literature review focused on these possible factors that could explain this inconsistency. This review identified 12 eligible studies (participants ages 4 to 17 years) and extracted a total 477 relations. In total, 86% of the extracted relations were not statistically significant; in the remaining 14%, a negative relation between RF-EMF and cognitive performance was detected under limited conditions: when (1) RF-EMF was assessed using objective measurement not subjective measurement (i.e., questionnaire), (2) participants were relatively older (12 years and above) and had greater opportunity of exposure to RF-EMF, and (3) the collection of cognitive function data was conducted after 2012. Given that 86% of the extracted relations in this analysis were not statistically significant, the interpretation should be approached with caution due to the possibility of the 14% of significant relationships, extracted in this review, representing chance findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Exposures and Epidemiological Studies on Maternal and Child Health)
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