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284
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
September 2000 - present
Position
- Chief - Persistent Organic Pollutants Laboratory in the Organic Toxicology Branch
Publications
Publications (284)
Background
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were used as flame retardants and from their end-use products they can be released to accumulate within indoor environments. This may result in exposures to pregnant women with potential adverse effects on the developing fetus. While studies have shown associations between prenatal PBDE exposure and...
Background
Anxiety disorders emerge during childhood and adolescence and are frequently preceded by subsyndromal anxiety symptoms. Environmental toxicants, including gestational polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposure, are associated with neuropsychiatric sequelae; however, the role of PBDEs as risk factors for anxiety in adolescence is uncle...
Background and objectives
Although polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were banned decades ago, populations are continuously exposed to PCBs due to their persistence and bioaccumulation/biomagnification in the environment. Results from limited epidemiologic studies linking PCBs to thyroid cancer have been inconclusive. This study aimed to investigate...
Background
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent environmental pollutants used as flame retardants. Gestational PBDE exposure has been associated with a variety of behavior problems in children, but little is known about its impact into adolescence, particularly on social skills, which are important for achieving social competence,...
Background:
Toxicology studies have identified pregnancy as a window of susceptibility for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and cardiometabolic indices in women. No study in humans, however, has examined EDC mixtures and cardiometabolic indices during pregnancy.
Methods:
We used the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Stu...
Black women are exposed to multiple endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), but few studies have examined their profiles of exposure to EDC mixtures. We identified biomarker profiles and correlates of exposure to EDC mixtures in a cross-sectional analysis of data from a prospective cohort study of 749 Black women aged 23-35 years. We quantified plas...
Background
Endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure is ubiquitous. EDC exposure during critical windows of development may interfere with the body’s endocrine system, affecting growth. Previous human studies have examined one EDC at a time in relation to infant growth. By studying mixtures, the human experience can be better approximated.
Aims...
Firefighters may encounter items containing flame retardants (FRs), including organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), during structure fires. This study utilized biological monitoring to characterize FR exposures in 36 firefighters assigned to interior, exterior, and overhaul job assignments, before and...
Background:
Previous studies of endocrine-disrupting chemicals have examined one of these chemicals at a time in association with an outcome; studying mixtures better approximates human experience. We investigated the association of prenatal exposure to mixtures of persistent endocrine disruptors [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polych...
Introduction
Gestational exposure to chemical mixtures, which is prevalent among pregnant women, may be associated with adverse childhood neurodevelopment. However, few studies have examined relations between gestational chemical mixture exposure and children’s cognitive abilities.
Methods
In a cohort of 253 pregnant women and their children from...
Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is ubiquitous. EDC exposure, especially during critical periods of development like the prenatal window, may interfere with the body’s endocrine system, which can affect growth and developmental outcomes such as puberty. Most studies have examined one EDC at a time in relation to disease; however, h...
Background
Thyroid cancer incidence has increased substantially over the past decades, and environmental risk factors have been suggested to play a role. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP) are established thyroid hormone disruptors, but their relationship to thyroid cancer is not known.
Methods
We investigated the...
Background:
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of ubiquitous, environmental chemicals that may have endocrine disrupting capabilities. We investigated whether childhood exposure to PAHs was associated with adiposity and pubertal timing in a longitudinal study of 404 girls enrolled in the Northern California site of the Breast Canc...
Background
Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may affect child neurobehavior; however, exposures to mixtures of POPs have rarely been examined.
Methods
We estimated associations of prenatal serum concentrations of 17 POPs, namely 5 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 6 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldi...
Background
Experimental studies in rodents suggest that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may contribute to depressive symptoms. Few studies have examined the impact of these chemicals on depression in adults.
Objective:
To examine the associations between serum PBDE and PFAS concentrations during...
The objective of the study was to determine the human serum elimination half-life of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) adjusted for ongoing exposure in subjects moving from a higher exposure region (North America) to a lower exposure region (Australia).
The study population was comprised of exchange students and long-term visitors from North A...
A nested case-control study was carried out using data from the United States Department of Defense cohort between 2000 and 2013 to investigate the associations of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with serum concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polybrominated biphenyls. This study included 742 (341 women and 401 men) histologically co...
Genetic factors explain 60 percent of variance in reading disorder. Exposure to neurotoxicants, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), may be overlooked risk factors for reading problems. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine associations between prenatal PBDE concentrations and functional conne...
Introduction:
Exposure to mixtures of environmental chemicals are prevalent among pregnant women and may be associated with altered fetal growth and gestational age. To date, most research regarding environmental chemicals and neonatal outcomes has focused on the effect of individual agents.
Methods:
In a prospective cohort of 380 pregnant women...
Background:
Thyroid cancer incidence is the most rapidly increasing malignancy; rates are three times higher in women than men. Thyroid hormone-disrupting flame-retardant chemicals, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), may contribute to this trend.
Methods:
We investigated the relationship between P...
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetic, organochlorine compounds previously used in industrial processes. Although banned in 1980’s across Europe, these chemicals persist in the environment and are associated with adverse health outcomes in children. We investigated the association between in utero concentrations of PCBs and girls' body fat...
Background:
Age at female puberty is associated with adult morbidities, including breast cancer and diabetes. Hormonally active chemicals are suspected of altering pubertal timing. We examined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are associated with age at menarche in a longitudinal study.
Methods:
We analyzed data for females enrolled a...
Background:
Penta-brominated diphenyl ethers (PentaBDEs) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that structurally resemble thyroid hormones and were widely used as flame retardants in household consumer products from 1975 to 2004. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) cross the placenta, and evidence suggests that for many children, body burdens may p...
Eleven polybrominated diphenyl ether (tri- to decaBDE) congeners and 2,2’,4,4’,5,5’-hexabromobiphenyl (BB153) have been measured in pooled samples from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for one decade (from survey years 2005/06 through 2013/14). The pools, which are representative of the general noninstitutionalized popu...
Specific organochlorines (OCs) have been associated with non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with varying degrees of evidence. These associations have not been evaluated in Asia, where the high exposure and historical environmental contamination of certain OC pesticides (e.g. dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH)) are different...
Background:
Animal studies suggest polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) may be obesogens. However, epidemiologic studies investigating childhood exposure to PBDEs and adiposity are limited, with several reporting an inverse association.
Objectives:
To investigate associations between repeated childhood PBDE concentrations and adiposity measure...
Background:
Exposure to endocrine disruptors is unavoidable. Many such compounds are suspected to impact neurological development of children, but most studies conducted have considered effects of individual chemicals in isolation. Because exposures co-occur, it is important to consider their health impacts in a single regression framework.
Metho...
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were used extensively as flame retardants in furniture containing polyurethane foam until they were phased out of use, beginning in 2004. We examined temporal changes in plasma PBDE concentrations from 1998 to 2013 and characterized patterns of exposure over the early lifecourse among 334 children (903 samples...
Background:
Environmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), has been hypothesized to increase risk of obesity. Using data from the Center for Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study, we examined the longitudinal relationship between serum concentrations...
Background:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) exist extensively in the environment and human beings. PBDE concentrations are higher in children than adults. A previous study found that prenatal PBDE exposure was associated with decreased reading skills in children; however, evidence is limited on the potential impact of childhood exposure to...
Background:
The developing brain is susceptible to exposure to neurodevelopmental toxicants such as pesticides.
Aims:
We explored associations of prenatal serum concentrations of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), 2,2-Bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethene (p,p'-DDE) and 2,2-Bis(4-chlorophenyl-1,1,1-trichloroethane (p,p...
In Australia, systematic biomonitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in pooled serum samples stratified by age and sex has occurred every two years between 2002/03 and 2012/13. Multiple regression modeling on log10-transformed serum pool concentrations of BDEs 47, 99, 100 and 153 and on the sum of these (Σ4PBDE) was conducted to examine t...
Pregnant women are exposed to numerous environmental chemicals, but there is limited understanding of chemical mixture exposure profiles and predictors. In a prospective cohort of 389 pregnant women from Cincinnati, OH, we used biomarkers to estimate exposure to 41 phenols, phthalates, metals, organophosphate/pyrethroid/organochlorine pesticides, p...
Background:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) reduce serum thyroid hormone concentrations in animal studies, but few studies have examined the impact of early-life PBDE exposures on thyroid hormone disruption in childhood.
Methods:
We used data from 162 mother-child pairs from the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study (2003-...
Background
Prenatal and childhood exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants has been inversely associated with cognitive performance, however, few studies have measured PBDE concentrations in samples collected during both prenatal and postnatal periods.
Methods
We examined prenatal (cord) and childhood (ages 2, 3, 5, 7 and...
Background:
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides have been associated with altered thyroid hormone levels in humans, but their relationship with thyroid cancer is unknown.
Methods:
We conducted a nested case-control study of thyroid cancer in the Norwegian Janus Serum Bank cohort using pre-diagnostic blood samples from...
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetic chemicals that bioaccumulate in the food chain. PCBs were used primarily for industrial applications due to their insulating and fire retardant properties, but were banned in the 1970s in the United States and in the 1980s in the United Kingdom, as adverse health effects following exposure were identif...
Background:
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of chemicals produced as combustion by-products, have been associated with endocrine disruption. To understand exposure in children, who have been less studied than adults, we examined PAH metabolite concentrations by demographic characteristics, potential sources of exposure, and variab...
We report longitudinal serum concentrations of select persistent organic pollutants in children at age seven and nine years and in their mothers prenatally and again when the children were nine years old. The participating families were enrolled in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a longitudinal bi...
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are environmentally persistent chemicals that structurally resemble legacy pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PBDEs were added to consumer products for over 30 years, before being phased out due to evidence of toxicity. We examined temporal changes in prenatal exposure to PBDEs, as well as o...
Early-childhood biomonitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is challenging due to the logistic and ethical limitations associated with blood sampling. We investigated using faeces as a non-invasive matrix to estimate internal exposure to POPs. The concentrations of selected POPs were measured in matched plasma and faecal samples collected...
Background:
Prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposure has been associated with decrements in IQ and increased attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder related behaviors in children; however, data are limited for the role of postnatal exposures.
Objectives:
We investigated the association between a series of childhood PBDE concentrat...
Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been reported to impair executive function in children, but little is known whether childhood PBDE exposures play a role. Using the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study, a prospective birth cohort in the greater Cincinnati area, we investigated the association...
Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) during fetal development may be associated with deficits in attention and impulse control. However, studies examining postnatal PBDE exposures and inattention and impulsivity have been inconsistent. Using data from 214 children in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study, a...
Biomonitoring of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) typically uses measurement of metabolites of PAHs with four or less aromatic rings, such as 1-hydroxypyrene, even though interest may be in exposure to larger and carcinogenic PAHs, such as benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). An improved procedure for measuring two tetrol metabolites of B[a]P...
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1289/EHP478.].
Background:
Prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposures may influence children's neurodevelopment.
Objective:
To examine the association of prenatal PBDE and PCB exposures with children's reading skills at ages 5 and 8 years, Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) and Externalizing Problems at...
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are associated with impaired visual spatial abilities in toxicological studies, but no epidemiologic study has investigated PBDEs and visual spatial abilities in children. The Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study, a prospective birth cohort (2003–2006, Cincinnati, OH), was used to examine pren...
Background:
Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that exhibit estrogenic and androgenic properties and may affect pubertal timing.
Methods:
Study subjects were participants between 1999 and 2013 in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a longitudina...
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are believed to be endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in humans and animals. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of in utero and childhood exposure to these purported EDCs and reproductive hormon...
Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are among several persistent organic pollutants (POPs) recognized to be toxic to the environment and humans by the United Nations environment program at their Stockholm Convention. Like other POPs, PCBs are highly resistant to biodegradation and tend to accumulate in living organisms, particularly in lip...
Background:
Household air pollution (HAP) from indoor biomass stoves contains harmful pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and is a leading risk factor for global disease burden. We used biomonitoring to assess HAP exposure and association with self-reported symptoms in 334 non-smoking Peruvian women to evaluate the efficac...
Background:
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are neurodevelopmental toxicants, but few studies have examined associations with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Objectives:
To determine whether prenatal exposure to PCBs and OCPs influences offspring risk of ASD and intellectual disability without autism (ID)....
Background:
Prenatal exposure to endocrine disruptors has been associated with increased risk of childhood obesity. However, epidemiologic studies on polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are limited despite animal studies indicating its potential role as an obesogen.
Objectives:
We investigated whether maternal concentrations of BDE-28, -47, -...
Introduction:
Epidemiologic data supporting the role of organochlorine pesticides in pubertal development are limited.
Methods:
Using a nested case-control design, serum collected during pregnancy from mothers of 218 girls who reported menarche before 11.5years of age (cases) and 230 girls who reported menarche at or after 11.5years of age (cont...
Background:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that may impact growth and development. We investigated the association between exposure to PBDEs via breast milk and anthropometric measurements in early childhood.
Methods:
The Pregnancy Infection and Nutrition (PIN) Babies studies followed a cohort of...
Background:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardant chemicals that are persistent organic pollutants. Animal experiments and some human studies indicate that PBDEs may adversely affect male reproductive function.
Objectives:
To assess the association between PBDE exposure and reproductive hormones (RHs) in a North American mal...
Children have higher polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) body burdens than adults, which may be related to hand-to-mouth behavior. We investigate associations between children's behavior, including hand-to-mouth contacts, and markers of PBDE exposure. In addition, we investigate associations between characteristics of the home environment and expo...
Executive function is a critical behavioral trait rarely studied in relation to potential neurotoxicants. Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been associated with adverse neurodevelopment, but there is limited research on executive function. Data from 256 mother–child pairs in the He...
