RESUMEN
In recent years, the effects of air pollutants on the neurodevelopmental disorders in children have received widespread attention. Early life is a critical period of rapid brain development, and exposure to air pollutants during this period may permanently alter brain function. This paper reviewed the epidemiological studies on the association between exposure to air pollutants during early life and children's neurodevelopmental disorders in recent years, with focus on outdoor air pollutants (e.g., PM2.5, PM10, NOx, and CO) and indoor air pollutants (e.g., cooking oil fumes, tobacco and mosquito incense smoke, and formaldehyde from home decoration), and summarized their possible biological mechanisms. Most studies indicate that pollutants in different periods and at different levels of exposure during early life can negatively affect children's neurodevelopment and that there may be a dose-response relationship between certain air pollutants and children's neurodevelopment. Current research on the effects of indoor air pollutants on children's neurodevelopment focus on exposure to tobacco smoke, while other indoor air pollutants such as cooking oil fumes and organic compounds produced by interior decorative materials are less well reported and their underlying biological mechanisms are not yet clear. Further epidemiological studies, animal and cellular experiments are needed to provide evidence for the neurodevelopmental toxicity of air pollutant exposure in the future, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for environmental eugenics and promote healthy development of children.
RESUMEN
Increasing prevalence of childhood obesity poses threats to the global health burden. Because this rising prevalence cannot be fully explained by traditional risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, early-life exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is recognized as emerging novel risk factors for childhood obesity. EDCs can disrupt the hormone-mediated metabolic pathways, affect children’s growth and mediate the development of childhood obesity. Many organic pollutants are recently classified to be EDCs. In this review, we summarized the epidemiological and laboratory evidence related to EDCs and childhood obesity, and discussed the possible mechanisms underpinning childhood obesity and early-life exposure to non-persistent organic pollutants (phthalates, bisphenol A, triclosan) and persistent organic pollutants (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Understanding the relationship between EDCs and childhood obesity helps to raise public awareness and formulate public health policy to protect the youth from exposure to the harmful effects of EDCs.