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Background Pesticide exposure may impact the reproductive health of women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). However, data on pesticide exposure levels in women undergoing ART in China are scarce, and current research on influencing factors is limited. Objective To evaluate the preconceptional pesticide exposure levels and identify potential determinants among women undergoing ART. Methods This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey and recruited 508 women undergoing ART from July 2017 to December 2018 at the fertility clinic of the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Gas chromatography/liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine the metabolite concentrations of organophosphate pesticides (OPs), pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs), and neonicotinoid pesticides (NEOs) in urine. The sum of molar concentrations of the three pesticide classes (∑2OPs, ∑2PYRs, and ∑2NEOs) were calculated. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic characteristics, dietary habits, and behavioral information. Multiple linear regression was employed to analyze the associations of demographic characteristics, dietary habits, and behavioral variables with the concentrations of pesticide metabolites in urine among the participants. Results The median creatinine-adjusted concentrations of ∑2OPs, ∑2PYRs, and ∑2NEOs in this study were 419.77, 2.95, and 20.36 nmol·g−1, respectively. The multiple linear regression results showed that the urinary concentration of ∑2OPs was 42.88% higher in the participants with daily vegetable intake than in those who consumed vegetables ≤3 d per week (P<0.05), and the urinary concentration of ∑2PYRs was 37.24% higher in the participants with daily fruit intake than in those who consumed fruits ≤3 d per week (P<0.01). Similarly, the urinary concentrations of ∑2NEOs were 24.51% and 29.30% higher in the participants who consumed fruits daily and 4-6 d per week, respectively, than in those who consumed fruits ≤3 d per week (P<0.05). Besides, we also found that the urinary concentration of ∑2PYRs was negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI) in the participants (P<0.05). Furthermore, the urinary concentration of ∑2NEOs was not only positively correlated with age (P<0.05), but also significantly associated with pet ownership and infertility causes among the participants. Specifically, the participants who continued to own pets after conception had a 30.11% higher urinary concentration of ∑2NEOs than those who never owned pets (P<0.05), and the participants with infertility due to female factors had a 24.10% lower urinary concentration of ∑2NEOs than those who received ART treatment for infertility caused by male factors (P<0.05). Conclusion The women undergoing ART in Shanghai are widely exposed to pesticides. Age, BMI, frequency of vegetable and fruit intake, pet ownership, and infertility causes may be related to the pesticide exposure levels in this population. However, more human data are needed to confirm these findings.
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Background Neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs) are emerging synthetic insecticides that have been used in various pest management regimens worldwide as alternatives to conventional insecticides. Recently, several studies have indicated that humans are widely exposed to NEOs, but limited is known about the levels and associated health risks of NEOs exposure among children. Objective To estimate exposure levels of four kinds of NEOs in urine samples among 5-year-old children from Laizhou Wan, Shandong Province, and to evaluate health risks of single and cumulative exposure to NEOs among children in this area. Methods A total of 205 children who participated in the 5-year-old follow-up in Laizhou Wan Birth Cohort (LWBC) were included. Urinary concentrations of four NEOs [imidacloprid (IMI), acetamiprid (ACE), clothianidin (CLO), and thiamethoxam (THM)] were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Based on the detected NEOs concentrations, estimated daily intake (EDI) was calculated, and the health risk of exposure to single NEO was assessed using hazard quotient (HQ, risk threshold=1). A relative potency factor (RPF) approach was used to standardize the concentrations of the four NEOs by IMI to calculate their cumulative concentrations. Then, the health risk of cumulative exposure to the four NEOs was further evaluated based on the HQ method. Results The detection rates of the four NEOs in the 5-year-old children were all above 90%, and their median creatinine-adjusted urinary concentrations were in the order from high to low as follows: CLO (1.373 μg·g−1) > THM (0.628 μg·g−1) > IMI (0.310 μg·g−1) > ACE (0.073 μg·g−1). Of the four NEOs, the median EDI of IMI was 0.035 µg·kg−1·d−1, higher than those of CLO (0.032 µg·kg−1·d−1), THM (0.012 µg·kg−1·d−1), and ACE (0.002 µg·kg−1·d−1). The maximum HQ values of IMI, CLO, THM, and ACE were 0.168, 0.152, 0.055, and 0.022, respectively, which were all far lower than the risk threshold of 1. The median concentration of cumulative exposure to the four NEOs standardized by IMI was 21.241 μg·g−1, and its median EDI was 2.370 µg·kg−1·d−1. The maximum HQ of cumulative exposure to the four NEOs was only 0.694, which also did not exceed the risk threshold of 1. Conclusion NEOs exposure is common among the 5-year-old children in Laizhou Wan, Shandong. Although there is no obvious health risk associated with single and cumulative exposure to NEOs in the children in this area, their exposure levels of NEOs are higher than those in some foreign areas. The adverse health effects of long-term exposure to low dose of NEOs deserve our extensive attention.
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Exposure to environmental pollutants imposes important health risks to human beings. In recent years, emerging evidence has suggested that nutritional components may ameliorate the adverse health effects of environmental pollutants. Therefore, it raises great public health interests in protecting human health from environmental pollutants by nutrition interventions. Considering in vivo and in vitro experimental evidence, as well as epidemiological studies, this paper reviewed the possible mechanisms underlying how nutritional components counteract the adverse health impacts of environmental pollutants, which can provide directions for further studies on health risk assessment and nutrition intervention associated with environmental pollutant exposure.