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Title: Joint Exposure to Chemical and Nonchemical Neurodevelopmental Stressors in U.S. Women of Reproductive Age in NHANES

Journal Article · · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2]
  1. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cincinnati, OH (United States)
  2. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cincinnati, OH (United States)
  3. Linda Teuschler and Associates, St. Petersburg, FL (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Lead (Pb) and methyl mercury (MeHg) are well established neurodevelopmental toxicants (NDTs), but joint exposure to chemical and nonchemical (e.g., maternal stress) stressors has rarely been considered. We characterized exposure to Pb, MeHg and a measure of physiological dysregulation associated with chronic stress and examined race/ethnicity as a predictor of joint NDT exposure. Using data from the 2003-2004 NHANES, potential chronic stress exposure was estimated using allostatic load (AL), a quantitative measure of physiological dysregulation. A Hazard Index was calculated for joint exposure to Pb and MeHg (HINDT). Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between an indicator of elevated joint NDT exposures (HINDT > 1) and race/ethnicity. The multivariate model was stratified by AL groups to examine effect measure modification. African American (adjusted odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval] = 2.2 [1.4, 3.3]) and Mexican American (1.4 [0.7, 2.6]) women were more likely to have an HINDT > 1 compared to Caucasian women. Chronic stress was identified as an effect measure modifier with the largest ORs among women with high AL scores (African Americans = 4.3 [2.0, 9.5]; Mexican Americans = 4.2 [1.3, 14.1]). Chronic stress was found to modify the association between elevated joint NDT exposure and race/ethnicity, highlighting the importance of evaluating chemical and nonchemical stressor exposures leading to a common endpoint.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; US Environmental Protection Agency
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0014664
OSTI ID:
1628328
Journal Information:
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 11, Issue 4; ISSN 1660-4601
Publisher:
MDPICopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (6)

Relationship Between Mean Leucocyte Telomere Length and Measures of Allostatic Load in US Reproductive-Aged Women, NHANES 1999-2002 journal February 2016
Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and exposures to PBDEs, OH-PBDEs, PCBs, and PFASs in a diverse, overweight population of pregnant women journal September 2019
Concurrent Fetal Exposure to Multiple Environmental Chemicals along the U.S.—Mexico Border: An Exploratory Study in Brownsville, Texas journal September 2014
Connecting the Dots: Linking Environmental Justice Indicators to Daily Dose Model Estimates journal December 2016
An Overview of Literature Topics Related to Current Concepts, Methods, Tools, and Applications for Cumulative Risk Assessment (2007–2016) journal April 2017
Multifactorial Origin of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Approaches to Understanding Complex Etiologies journal March 2015

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Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
allostatic load
AL
chronic stress
cumulative exposure assessment
cumulative risk assessment
CRA
hazard index
HI
nonchemical stressors
neurodevelopment
physiological dysregulation
susceptibility
vulnerability