Cumulative effects of persistent organic pollutants and non-chemical stressors on child development

Project Abstract The prevalence of neurodevelopmental delays in the United States has increased substantially over the last two decades, possibly due to increased prenatal exposure to chemical and non-chemical stressors. Persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, are man-made chemicals that are of health concern given their ubiquitous exposure,

persistence in the environment and human body, and transmission to offspring during pregnancy. For humans, the most commonly encountered POPs include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Psychosocial stress is also a major public health problem, due to its high prevalence, association with adverse maternal and child health outcomes, and ability to amplify the adverse health effects of environmental chemicals. Communities of color, particularly African Americans (AAs), experience the largest burden of POPs exposure

and are disproportionately exposed to non-chemical and psychosocial stressors. However, few studies have examined chemical and non-chemical stressors together as an exposure mixture, despite our knowledge that they co-occur and cluster around socioeconomic status. Leveraging an ongoing prospective birth cohort of

African American pregnant people and their children in Atlanta, Georgia, this study will examine the cumulative effect of prenatal POPs and non-chemical stressors on delayed neurodevelopment in early infancy. The Atlanta African American Maternal-Child cohort is a socioeconomically diverse and exceptionally phenotyped cohort that

recruits pregnant people during early pregnancy and is following offspring through age 5. This project will take advantage of the rich biological and questionnaire data, as well as infant cognition assessments. Specifically, my project will examine sociodemographic characteristics, home product and personal care product usage as

predictors of POPs exposure (Aim 1). This may illuminate interventions and practices aimed at reducing POPs exposure and ultimately preventing adverse outcomes. In order to better characterize the prenatal exposome, my analytical approach in Aims 2 and 3 will utilize methods designed for analyzing chemical exposure mixtures

to examine the combined effects of POPs and psychosocial stressors. I will examine the mixture effects of prenatal exposure to four classes of POPs on infant neurodevelopment (Aim 2) and assess the combined effects of POPs, racial discrimination, depression, anxiety, and perceived stress on infant neurodevelopment (Aim 3).

My long-term career goal is to become a leader in environmental health sciences, with a focus on maternal and child health. To build on my previous pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research in perinatal and environmental epidemiology, I will be mentored by Dr. Dana Barr, a leader in exposure assessment, as well as Drs. Carmen

Marist and Patricia Brennan, experts in studies of the exposome and child neurodevelopment, respectively. The outstanding training opportunities in high-priority research areas with key leaders in the field will enhance my skillset and position me well for a career as an independent investigator.