Bisphenol A (BPA) substitutes, such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol AF (BPAF), are increasingly used due to restrictions on BPA usage, a known endocrine disrupting chemical and putative obesogen. However, little is known about the obesogenic effects of exposure to BPA substitutes in children. A total of 426 children aged 7 years old originally recruited from Laizhou Wan Birth Cohort in Shandong, China, during 2010–2013 participated in the 2019–2020 survey. Urinary BPA and its substitutes including BPS, BPAF, bisphenol B (BPB), bisphenol AP (BPAP), bisphenol Z (BPZ), and bisphenol P (BPP) were determined. Anthropometric measures including height, weight, waist circumference, and body fat percentage were assessed, and overweight/obesity was defined as BMI z-score ≥ 85th percentile. Linear and logistic regressions were used on continuous and binary obesity measures, respectively, and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was further used to estimate the mixture effects of exposure to diverse bisphenols, and sex-stratified analysis was performed. BPA substitutes were widely detected (> 75
Per-and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) are a group of persistent organic pollutants that are widespread in the environment and organisms. Given their unique hydrophobicity, oil-repellence, and chemical stability, PFASs are widely used in various industrial and commercial products. PFASs can accumulate and be biomagnified through the food chain, and its toxic effects have posed a certain threat to human health. The response of the immune system to PFASs exposure is one of the most sensitive human health effects, and has attracted remarkable attention from related scientists and organizations. We summarized international and domestic epidemiological studies on the associations between exposure to PFASs and immune system, including immunosuppression and immunoenhancement. We also reviewed experimental evidence of PFASs on immune system from perspectives of immune organs, immune cells, and cytokines. Furthermore, the possible mechanisms of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α)-dependent, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-activated, and mitochondrial apoptosis pathways were summarized. While the relationships between PFASs and immune-related diseases in human are not yet conclusive, accumulative epidemiological studies provide evidence for associations between PFASs and reduced immune response to vaccination in children. In addition, previous studies mainly focus on the immunotoxicity of traditional PFASs, and our understanding of the molecular mechanism of the effects of PFASs on immune system is still in its infancy. Therefore, it is necessary to further explore the immunotoxicity of new PFASs and associated mechanism.
ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of allergic and infectious diseases in children, and to assess the influence of indoor and outdoor environmental factors on these two common diseases in children.MethodsA questionnaire was used to investigate the prevalence of allergic and infectious diseases in 140 children of 7 years old in Laizhou Bay, Shandong Province. Logistic regression was used to analyze the associations between indoor and outdoor environmental factors and children’s allergic and infectious diseases, respectively.ResultsThe prevalence of previous eczema and other allergic diseases for the past year in children was 37.9% and 15.0%, respectively, and the prevalence of infectious diseases for the past year was 35.7%. As for allergic diseases, eye irritation due to outdoor air (OR=2.977; 95%CI: 1.407‒6.296) and nose irritation due to outdoor air (OR=5.147; 95%CI: 1.272‒20.827) were the risk factors for previous eczema in children. Indoor musty taste increased the risks of urticaria (OR=4.306; 95%CI: 1.062‒17.454) and previous eczema (OR=3.853; 95%CI: 1.080‒13.743). The use of cockroach killers indoors increased the risk of rhinitis (OR=6.102; 95%CI:1.297‒28.697). As for infectious diseases, having outdoor pollution sources increased the risk of gastrointestinal infection (OR=4.937; 95%CI: 1.050‒23.216), and the use of mosquito coils and clothing mothproofing agents increased the risks of respiratory (OR=6.333; 95%CI: 1.397‒28.714) and gastrointestinal infections (OR=3.218; 95%CI: 1.074‒9.644), respectively. However, we did not find associations between indoor passive smoking and allergic or infectious diseases.ConclusionExcept outdoor passive smoking, all the other indoor and outdoor environmental factors increase the risks of children’s allergies and infectious diseases.
BACKGROUND:Epidemiological studies suggested that triclosan (TCS) exposure was ubiquitous among children and could affect their physical growth. However, most studies relied on TCS exposure at single time point, and the impacts of multiple time points TCS exposure were unclear. OBJECTIVES:To estimate the associations between repeated TCS measurements in childhood (at ages 1, 2, 5, and 7 years) and physical growth at 7 years. METHODS:This study included 206 children from Laizhou Wan Birth Cohort (LWBC), China. Urinary TCS concentrations were detected at age of 1, 2, 5, and 7 years, and physical growth including height, weight, waist circumference, and fat percentage was measured at 7 years. Multiple informant models were applied to examine the relationships of repeated TCS measurements in childhood with physical growth, and stratified analysis by gender was performed. RESULTS:The detection rates of TCS at age of 1, 2, 5, and 7 years were above 60%, with median declining from 0.89 to 0.33 μg/g creatinine. We found TCS at 5 years was positively associated with waist-to-height ratio, and TCS at 7 years was positively associated with physical growth, including weight z-score, BMI z-score, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and fat percentage. Moreover, the above associations for weight z-score, BMI z-score, and fat percentage significantly varied by the period of exposure (pint ˂ 0.05). After stratified by gender, positive associations were only found among boys. CONCLUSIONS:In our study, TCS levels decreased as children's age increased. TCS exposures at age of 5 and 7 years were positively associated with physical growth at 7 years, and these associations were only significant in boys. Given the relatively small sample size, our findings should be interpreted with caution until confirmed by further investigation.