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Linking Early Life Stages: The First Step towards Lifecourse Risk Assessment
Citation:
Darney, S. Linking Early Life Stages: The First Step towards Lifecourse Risk Assessment. Society of Toxicology, San Diego, CA, March 22 - 26, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
Purpose is scientific communication and synthesis; impact is that the workshop will stimulate new thinking on incorporation of PBPK into cumulative risk assessment.
Description:
The abstract is the overview of a workshop proposed for inclusion in 2015 Society of Toxicology annual meeting program. The workshop will introduce the audience to lifecourse theory and speakers will provide examples of using PBPK models to link exposures and outcomes resulting from chemical exposures during pregnancy, lactation and childhood into a cumulative risk assessment model. One speaker will highlight ORD research (separate STICS entry). ABSTRACT-Adverse health effects associated with chemical exposures are often greatest during periods of growth, differentiation and development in embryonic, fetal, infant and/or childhood lifestages. Historically, risk assessment has considered the most critical and sensitive developmental window of exposure for each individual contaminant. However, a pregnant women experiences exposures to a complex array of environmental contaminants and may transfer them to her fetus across the placenta and/or to her newborn through breast milk. Furthermore, mother and child will experience similar environmental exposures and modifying factors in their homes, schools and communities, all of which may impact subsequent physiology, disease susceptibility and lifelong health. To begin to address this complexity, we need ways to link exposures as they accrue and health outcomes as they emerge across time and life stages. This workshop will introduce lifecourse theory as applied to early life stages, specifically to maternal and child health. Then experts in physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) and exposure modeling will provide innovative approaches for predicting fetal and neonatal exposures based on the transfer of chemicals from pregnant women to their fetuses across the placenta and to their infants through breast milk, and for predicting biological effects of those exposures across lifestages to adulthood. Drawing from a variety of data sources (human biomonitoring, longitudinal children’s health studies, exposure modeling, and biomarker discovery) case studies will demonstrate applications of lifecourse PBPK models to selected chemical classes. The workshop will conclude with an integrative panel discussion on how to apply these lifecourse models in risk assessment. DISCLAIMER: the views expressed in this abstract do not necessarily reflect USEPA policy.