Children growing up in homes with water damage or dampness and exposed to higher levels of outdoor air pollution during early childhood face a greater risk of developing asthma, according to new research supported by the NIH’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. The large multisite study found that early-life exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and indoor housing problems each independently ...

Exposure to certain organophosphate esters (OPEs)—chemicals commonly used as flame retardants and plastic softeners in a variety of household and industrial products—during pregnancy was associated with slightly lower scores on tests of mental skills in young children, according to a new ECHO Cohort study led by Akhgar Ghassabian, MD, PhD of New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Previous studies have ...

A child’s blood pressure may be influenced by exposure to air pollution before and shortly after birth, according to a new study from the NIH-funded Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. The study focused on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), common pollutants from vehicles, power plants, and other industrial sources. High blood pressure in children is ...

Exposure to certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)  was associated with changes in depression and stress for pregnant and postpartum mothers, according to a new ECHO Cohort study led by Susanna Mitro, PhD and Lyndsay Avalos, PhD, MPH of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. PFAS are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals found in some household products such as cookware and stain-resistant ...

Stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy and maternal adverse childhood experiences may influence the relationship between certain chemical exposures and birth outcomes, according to a new ECHO Cohort study led by Stephanie Eick, PhD, MPH and Anne Dunlop, MD, MPH of Emory University. Most previous research on the effects of chemical exposures on birth outcomes has focused on a small number ...

Children living in neighborhoods with high levels of gun violence were 20% less likely to be reported in excellent or very good health compared with children in areas with lower levels of gun violence, according to a new study from the ECHO Cohort. The association was consistent across age groups and especially pronounced in high-poverty neighborhoods, where children exposed to ...

On September 15, 2025, the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program hosted its inaugural ECHO Symposium: Translating Science to Action on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, and online. This free, one-day event brought together more than 1,000 researchers, clinicians, policymakers, advocates, community leaders, and families to explore how early environmental factors influence child health—and how to ...

Study highlights increased risk, especially in Western states and during intense smoke events Exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of preterm birth, especially in the Western United States and during periods of intense or prolonged smoke, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Wildfires ...

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during pregnancy was not significantly associated with behavior issues in children, according to a new ECHO Cohort study led by Catherine Bulka, PhD of the University of South Florida and Rebecca Fry, PhD of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. PFAS are man-made chemicals used in some consumer and industrial products like cookware, ...

The Washington Post recently featured the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program in a story on phthalates—chemicals commonly found in plastics and personal care products—and how they may affect babies’ development during pregnancy. The article highlighted ECHO participants who are helping researchers understand how chemical exposures during pregnancy and throughout the life course may influence pregnancy outcomes and child ...