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CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTERS: FORMATIVE CENTERS
Impact/Purpose:
Our overall theme is to advance our understanding of how exposure to environmental chemicals affects early development using a new multidisciplinary approach that: 1) integrates epidemiologic and biomonitoring research on sources and exposures to environmental chemicals during pregnancy with basic biological research on how chemical exposures may disrupt early development; and 2) translates these scientific findings to community groups and healthcare providers in order to improve clinical care and prevent prenatal exposures to harmful chemicals. The Center will focus on Bisphenol A (BPA) as a model chemical for enhancing our general understanding of sources and exposures during the prenatal period and subsequent potential adverse health effects. Our objectives are to:
Assess the body burden of BPA in a geographically and socioeconomically diverse group of pregnant women and understand the role of intrauterine metabolism, developmental stage and placenta in influencing intrauterine exposures;
Investigate the relationship between exposure to BPA and early human development through development of an experimental in vitro cell model system ;
Identify sources of exposure to BPA in a geographically and socioeconomically diverse population of pregnant women; and
Mentor new researchers in the field of prenatal environmental health by partnering with community groups and health care providers to increase their capacity to prevent preconception and prenatal exposures to environmental hazards and to promote prevention‐oriented health policies.
Description:
We expect, at the end of this project, to be able to 1) characterize sources of maternal exposure to BPA, the relationship between maternal and intrauterine levels of BPA and 2) gain an in‐depth understanding of BPA affects early development. We anticipate this will improve our ability to integrate the knowledge of enhanced exposures and susceptibilities we gain through this research into improved environmental health decision‐making.