Environmental Chemical Exposures and Child Neurodevelopment: Who May be Most Affected, Why, and How we can Protect?

Chair(s)

• 

  Christine Till, PhD, CPsych (she/her/hers)

  Professor
  York University
  Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  Slides
• 

  Sietske Berghuis, MD PhD (she/her/hers)

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  University Medical Center Groningen
  Groningen, Netherlands

Session

Description: Children are exposed to toxic chemicals throughout development and the long-term consequences of this exposure can be profound. Despite decades of research documenting the vulnerability of the developing brain to environmental contaminants, there has been little progress in protecting against developmental neurotoxicity. This symposium will discuss recent research in developmental neurotoxicology using a “developmental origins of health and disease” (DOHaD) framework that examines the context in which environmental contaminants exert their effects. Ms. C. Goodman will provide an update on recent literature on sex-specific neurodevelopmental effects of pre- and post-natal exposure to neurotoxicants. Prof. C. Till will discuss the current state of epidemiologic research on fluoride neurodevelopmental toxicity, including dose-response relationships, critical windows of exposure, and risk factors that may increase vulnerability to fluoride neurotoxicity. Ms. M. Hall will feature results of a cohort study on the association between prenatal fluoride and prenatal thyroid hormone levels and intellectual abilities in childhood. In addition, dr. S. Berghuis will highlight the long-term endocrine-disrupting potential of prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants. Dr. R. Green will provide a health prevention perspective on translating developmental neurotoxicology for the public. The symposium will be capped with a discussion of the public’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to developmental toxicity and strategies to reduce exposure. All speakers will be asked to draw conclusions on research priorities, and discuss how to balance regulators’ need for “ideal evidence” with a public health strategy that aims to protect the public from critical environmental hazards.

Presentations:

• 8:00 AM – 8:20 AM ET

  Sex-specific neurodevelopmental effect of pre- and postnatal exposure to six neurotoxicants: A meta-analysis of human studies
  

  Speaker: Carly Goodman, n/a – York University
• 8:20 AM – 8:35 AM ET

  The neurotoxicity of fluoride: A wake-up call
  

  Speaker: Christine Till, PhD, CPsych (she/her/hers) – York University
• 8:35 AM – 8:48 AM ET

  Fluoride exposure and thyroid dysfunction in a Canadian birth and pregnancy cohort
  

  Speaker: Meaghan Hall, MA (she/her/hers) – York University
• 8:48 AM – 9:02 AM ET

  Thyroid hormone metabolism at adolescence and prenatal levels of persistent organic pollutants
  

  Speaker: Sietske Berghuis, MD PhD (she/her/hers) – University Medical Center Groningen
• 9:02 AM – 9:30 AM ET

  Translating developmental neurotoxicology for the public: A health prevention perspective
  

  Speaker: Rivka Green, MA, PhD – The Hospital for Sick Children