About this Research Topic
Pregnant women and their unborn children are particular at risk from the effects of environmental pollutants, which include a number of toxic substances. These exposures, starting from pre-conception and throughout all stages of pregnancy, affect fetal development. The first one thousand days of life, further referring to the period from conception to age 2, are critical as the bases for lifelong health and well-being are formed. Early-life exposure to environmental pollutants may impact not only fetal growth and child development, but also long-term health in later life.
A growing body of evidence has linked environmental pollutants with adverse reproductive and developmental health outcomes. However, controversy remains as to whether or how associations exist, with conflicting findings commonly reported. Several factors converge to make adverse effects of early-life exposure to environmental pollutants of particular difficulty to draw a conclusion. These include possible synergistic interactions of toxic substances co-existing in the environment; different critical windows regarding to specific outcomes and varying vulnerability to exposure; child growth and development as a continuous process rather than individual outcome at each time point; and potential confounding effects caused by the continuing exposure during other life stages. Furthermore, human studies exploring mechanisms underlying the effects and intervention strategies are especially lacking.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a chance for researchers to communicate their findings, scientific interpretations, and opinions, regarding early-life exposure to environmental pollutants that may have impacts not only on fetal growth and child development, but also on health in later life. The aim is to highlight the advances that have been made in this research area in recent years, and progress towards how to best assess the true effects of early-life exposure to environmental pollutants, considering the interactions due to co-exposure and exposure occurring in other life stages. A special focus of the Research Topic is on underlying mechanisms and issues that inform intervention strategies.
We welcome original research articles and reviews covering one or more of, but not limited to, the following topics:
● Effects of early-life exposure to environmental pollutants on birth outcomes, children’s growth and development, and health in later life;
● Methodological development addressing challenges in dealing with synergistic interactions of co-exposure, or potential confounding effects caused by exposure during other life stages;
● Molecular mechanisms of toxicity (DNA damage, epigenetic changes, etc.);
● Modification effects by genetic, lifestyle, and nutrition factors, etc.;
● Health issues that can potentially be tackled through interventions.
A growing body of evidence has linked environmental pollutants with adverse reproductive and developmental health outcomes. However, controversy remains as to whether or how associations exist, with conflicting findings commonly reported. Several factors converge to make adverse effects of early-life exposure to environmental pollutants of particular difficulty to draw a conclusion. These include possible synergistic interactions of toxic substances co-existing in the environment; different critical windows regarding to specific outcomes and varying vulnerability to exposure; child growth and development as a continuous process rather than individual outcome at each time point; and potential confounding effects caused by the continuing exposure during other life stages. Furthermore, human studies exploring mechanisms underlying the effects and intervention strategies are especially lacking.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a chance for researchers to communicate their findings, scientific interpretations, and opinions, regarding early-life exposure to environmental pollutants that may have impacts not only on fetal growth and child development, but also on health in later life. The aim is to highlight the advances that have been made in this research area in recent years, and progress towards how to best assess the true effects of early-life exposure to environmental pollutants, considering the interactions due to co-exposure and exposure occurring in other life stages. A special focus of the Research Topic is on underlying mechanisms and issues that inform intervention strategies.
We welcome original research articles and reviews covering one or more of, but not limited to, the following topics:
● Effects of early-life exposure to environmental pollutants on birth outcomes, children’s growth and development, and health in later life;
● Methodological development addressing challenges in dealing with synergistic interactions of co-exposure, or potential confounding effects caused by exposure during other life stages;
● Molecular mechanisms of toxicity (DNA damage, epigenetic changes, etc.);
● Modification effects by genetic, lifestyle, and nutrition factors, etc.;
● Health issues that can potentially be tackled through interventions.
Keywords: Environmental pollutants, early-life exposure, birth outcome, children’s health, long-term health effects
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
