Joint Exposure to Chemical and Nonchemical Neurodevelopmental Stressors in U.S. Women of Reproductive Age in NHANES

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Amanda M. Evans³  Glenn E. Rice¹  Linda K. Teuschler² 

[1] U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA; E-Mails:;Linda Teuschler and Associates, St. Petersburg, FL 33707, USA; E-Mail:;Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA

关键词: allostatic load (AL);    chronic stress;    cumulative exposure assessment;    cumulative risk assessment (CRA);    hazard index (HI);    nonchemical stressors;    neurodevelopment;    physiological dysregulation;    susceptibility;    vulnerability;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph110404384

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Lead (Pb) and methyl mercury (MeHg) are well established neurodevelopmental toxicants (NDTs), but joint exposure to chemical and nonchemical (e.g., maternal stress) stressors has rarely been considered. We characterized exposure to Pb, MeHg and a measure of physiological dysregulation associated with chronic stress and examined race/ethnicity as a predictor of joint NDT exposure. Using data from the 2003−2004 NHANES, potential chronic stress exposure was estimated using allostatic load (AL), a quantitative measure of physiological dysregulation. A Hazard Index was calculated for joint exposure to Pb and MeHg (HI_NDT). Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between an indicator of elevated joint NDT exposures (HI_NDT > 1) and race/ethnicity. The multivariate model was stratified by AL groups to examine effect measure modification. African American (adjusted odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval] = 2.2 [1.4, 3.3]) and Mexican American (1.4 [0.7, 2.6]) women were more likely to have an HI_NDT > 1 compared to Caucasian women. Chronic stress was identified as an effect measure modifier with the largest ORs among women with high AL scores (African Americans = 4.3 [2.0, 9.5]; Mexican Americans = 4.2 [1.3, 14.1]). Chronic stress was found to modify the association between elevated joint NDT exposure and race/ethnicity, highlighting the importance of evaluating chemical and nonchemical stressor exposures leading to a common endpoint.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.