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Fertility/Repro Health News
2 Feb EPA Dioxin report delayed.  The Environmental Protection Agency has missed its own deadline to release a major report on the health effects of dioxins, a class of toxic chemicals. People in central Michigan have lived with dioxin pollution for more than three decades. Environment Report. 2 Feb Study; Cadmium may affect newborn girls more than boys: maternal exposure linked to smaller birth size.  A new study shows that maternal cadmium exposure is associated with reduced head circumference and birth weight in newborn girls. Environmental Health Perspectives.
1 Feb Decoding neurodevelopment: findings on environmental exposures and synaptic plasticity.  Of special interest are key discoveries by investigators at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) about some of the basic mechanisms involved in synaptic plasticity, and work by other investigators that explores the hypothesis that environmental toxicants that disrupt synaptic plasticity at critical periods play a role in disorders that have roots in early brain development, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. Environmental Health Perspectives.
2 Feb Women's reproductive environmental health takes the spotlight. NIEHS welcomed leading scientists to a meeting Jan. 20 to lay the foundation for a consortium focused on advancing research in women's reproductive health. NIEHS Environmental Factor.
2 Feb Folic acid supplementation dysregulates gene expression in lymphoblastoid cells -- implications in nutrition.
Excessive folic acid supplementation may require careful monitoring in women who are planning for, or are in the early stages of pregnancy. Aberrant expression of genes during early brain development may have an impact on behavioural characteristics. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.
31 Jan Webinar: Early Life Exposures - Long-Term Health Consequences.  Sponsor: NIEHS. February 3, 2012; 1:00 - 3:00 PM ET. This seminar will feature work with polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), compounds often added to furniture, electronics and other consumer products to improve fire safety. PBDEs can cross the placental barrier from mother to fetus and influence childhood development years later. PBDEs have been associated with alterations in thyroid hormone levels, reduced fertility, and neurodevelopmental deficits. 31 Jan Fish oil in pregnancy may reduce infant eczema. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in pregnancy led to lower rates of childhood eczema in the offspring of women with a family history of allergic disease. New Scientist. 31 Jan Study: PCBs could harm babies' immune system. PCBs may interfere with immune system development in infants exposed in the womb and early in life, report researchers from the United States and Slovakia. Infants with higher PCB exposure during gestation and as newborns had smaller thymus organs at birth and at 6 months of age but not at 13 months. These results suggest that early life exposure to PCBs might impact the development of the immune system, but the effects seem to be limited to early infancy. The long-term implications of these changes remain to be determined. Environmental Health Perspectives.
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Fertility/Reproductive Health
Working Group
CHE's Fertility/Reproductive Health Working Group sets the table for over 400 diverse members to come together around environmental impacts to fertility and reproductive health. The goal of this dynamic conversation is to discern what the science is telling us, where the research gaps are, and how we can effectively support and promote science-based education and action. Read more...
If you would like to join and are already a CHE Partner, send us an email request. Or become a CHE Partner and indicate your interest in your application.
For more information, please contact Karin Russ at karin@healthandenvironment.org.
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