Publications
Gestational Exposure to 10 Classes of Priority Chemicals and Birth Outcomes in the ECHO Cohort
John D Meeker
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This large cohort study of diverse US pregnancies found widespread exposure to 10 classes of environmental chemicals, many of which were associated with differences in gestational age at birth or lower BW-GA z scores. These findings indicate that reducing gestational exposure to chemicals, particularly phthalates or alternative plasticizers and PAHs, could promote healthy deliveries and better child outcomes.
A Call for the Universal Use of Respirators in Healthcare
Adam M Finkel
(a) surgical masks provide inadequate protection against airborne pathogens; (b) the current WHO guidelines are harming healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients; and (c) WHO as a global healthcare safety leader has the power to reduce disease burden in healthcare settings through more effective advocacy. WHO should lead decisively toward safer healthcare by establishing respirators as the universal default for all healthcare encounters, with clearly defined, locally-determined off-ramps based on…
Glyphosate exposure and hormonal disruption in pregnancy: evidence from a birth cohort in Puerto Rico
John D Meeker
BACKGROUND: Glyphosate and its primary metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), are widespread environmental contaminants with potential endocrine-disrupting properties. Despite near-universal glyphosate and AMPA exposure, human studies evaluating their association with maternal hormonal regulation during gestation remain scarce.
Handling of multicohort data in pooled analysis of environmental exposures: confounding by cohort of the relationship between perfluoroalkyl substances and birthweight in the ECHO Program
John D Meeker
The relationship between exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and birthweight remains unclear. Pooling data across multiple cohorts can increase power, leading to more representative populations and exposure distributions, but confounding by cohort can be a major source of bias. To understand this potential bias, we assessed the relationship between exposure to five PFAS and birthweight utilizing data from 5480 mother-infant dyads across 17 Environmental influences on Child Health…
Evaluation of integrated, multimedia biomarkers of prenatal metals exposure in association with child neurodevelopment in Puerto Rico
John D Meeker
BACKGROUND: Biomarkers can be measured in various media, including urine or blood, which represent different biological compartments and toxicokinetic pathways, resulting in potential biases when estimating the internal dose of an environmental exposure. Integrating measurements across multiple media as a multimedia biomarker (MMB) may better characterize an exposure, allowing for improved assessment of exposure-outcome relationships.
Prenatal phthalate exposure and emotional-behavioral problems in children aged 1.5 to 3 years from the PROTECT birth cohort
John D Meeker
BACKGROUND: Phthalates are synthetic chemicals commonly used in plastics and personal care products, resulting in widespread human exposure. As recognized endocrine disruptors, phthalates are of particular concern during pregnancy as pregnancy is a vulnerable period for both maternal and fetal health. Although prenatal phthalate exposure has been associated with child neurodevelopmental outcomes and emotional and behavioral problems (EBP), a crucial knowledge gap remains, particularly regarding…
Heat exposure and cardiovascular risk factors among migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States: data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (1999-2020)
Marie S O'Neill
BACKGROUND: The United States (U.S.) currently lacks a Federal occupational heat standard and hot weather threatens the safety and health of farmworkers who often work under extreme heat conditions. Chronic disease and related risk factors can enhance worker susceptibility, yet prior studies on heat vulnerability in farmworkers used small samples over short time periods, leaving knowledge gaps about the scope of the problem.
Heat exposure and cardiovascular risk factors among migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States: data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (1999-2020)
Alexis J Handal
BACKGROUND: The United States (U.S.) currently lacks a Federal occupational heat standard and hot weather threatens the safety and health of farmworkers who often work under extreme heat conditions. Chronic disease and related risk factors can enhance worker susceptibility, yet prior studies on heat vulnerability in farmworkers used small samples over short time periods, leaving knowledge gaps about the scope of the problem.
Integrating noise as a risk factor in studies of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia: Guidance for epidemiologic research
Richard L Neitzel
Noise exposure is increasingly recognized as a modifiable environmental risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), yet its integration into epidemiologic research remains limited. We reviewed international noise mapping resources, exposure metrics, and analytic approaches relevant to ADRD studies. Mechanistic pathways and methodological challenges were synthesized from recent studies via expert knowledge. We present a stepwise framework for integrating noise into ADRD…
Prenatal over-the-counter acetaminophen use and birth outcomes in the ECHO cohort
John D Meeker
Acetaminophen is among the most common over-the-counter medications used during pregnancy. Given inconsistent findings from both experimental and epidemiological studies on associations between use and adverse health outcomes, further research is warranted. To address this, our objective was to assess the relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and birth outcomes. We studied 8957 mother-infant pairs from 36 pediatric study sites participating in the Environmental influences on Child…
Citing our Center Grant:
All publications, press releases, and other documents relevant to research funded by the center must include a specific acknowledgement of support, this statement may read:
“This publication was supported by the Grant Number, T42 OH008455, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.”