Review of the environmental prenatal exposome and its relationship to maternal and fetal health

Julia E Rager; Jacqueline Bangma; Celeste Carberry; Alex Chao; Jarod Grossman; Kun Lu; Tracy A Manuck; Jon R Sobus; John Szilagyi; Rebecca C Fry

doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.02.004

Review of the environmental prenatal exposome and its relationship to maternal and fetal health

Reprod Toxicol. 2020 Dec:98:1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.02.004. Epub 2020 Feb 23.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; The Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Curriculum in Toxicology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address: jrager@unc.edu.
² Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
³ Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Participant, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
⁴ Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Curriculum in Toxicology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
⁶ The Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
⁷ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
⁸ Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; The Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Curriculum in Toxicology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Abstract

Environmental chemicals comprise a major portion of the human exposome, with some shown to impact the health of susceptible populations, including pregnant women and developing fetuses. The placenta and cord blood serve as important biological windows into the maternal and fetal environments. In this article we review how environmental chemicals (defined here to include man-made chemicals [e.g., flame retardants, pesticides/herbicides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances], toxins, metals, and other xenobiotic compounds) contribute to the prenatal exposome and highlight future directions to advance this research field. Our findings from a survey of recent literature indicate the need to better understand the breadth of environmental chemicals that reach the placenta and cord blood, as well as the linkages between prenatal exposures, mechanisms of toxicity, and subsequent health outcomes. Research efforts tailored towards addressing these needs will provide a more comprehensive understanding of how environmental chemicals impact maternal and fetal health.

Keywords: Developmental toxicity; Environment; Exposome; Fetus; Pregnancy.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Environmental Pollutants / analysis
Exposome*
Female
Fetal Blood / chemistry
Fetal Development*
Humans
Maternal Exposure*
Maternal Health*
Maternal-Fetal Exchange*
Placenta / chemistry
Pregnancy

Substances

Environmental Pollutants

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding