ECHO Study Suggests Antimony Exposure During Pregnancy Contributes to Lower Birth Weight

Authors: Caitlin Howe, Margaret R. Karagas, et al.

Who sponsored this study?

This research was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health.

What were the study results?

Researchers found that combined exposure to all metals in the mixture did not affect birth weight. Mothers with high levels of the metal antimony in their urine had smaller babies across all three of the ECHO cohorts. Two other metals – cadmium and molybdenum – had no impact on fetal growth. Findings for other metals (cobalt, mercury, nickel, tin) varied depending on the study population and whether the baby was male or female.

Footnote: Results reported here are for a single study. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. You should not make changes to your health without first consulting your healthcare professional.

What was the study's impact?

This study used an approach that looked at multiple chemicals at once, in contrast to previous studies that have typically evaluated one chemical at a time. The findings suggest that antimony, an understudied metalloid, may harm fetal growth in different populations across the United States.

Why was this study needed?

Exposure to toxic metals can harm fetal growth (how much a baby grows during pregnancy), while nutritionally essential metals can support fetal growth. Previous research studying the effects of metals during pregnancy on fetal growth has usually focused on one metal at a time. However, most people are exposed to multiple metals, which may have complex effects on fetal growth. Therefore, combining data from three ECHO cohorts representing different geographic regions in the U.S., the research team looked at how maternal exposure to multiple metals affects fetal growth, an important indicator of future health.

Who was involved?

This study included approximately 1,000 pairs of mothers and newborns who are participating in three ECHO cohorts:

The MADRES study, a predominantly lower income Hispanic cohort in Los Angeles, California
The NHBCS, a primarily non-Hispanic white cohort in northern New England
The PROTECT study, a Hispanic cohort in northern Puerto Rico.

What happened during the study?

The research team combined data from the three cohorts to measure multiple metals in the mothers’ urine samples collected during pregnancy. They then looked at associations between seven metals and birth weight for gestational age using a multi-chemical mixture approach. Birth weight for gestational age is commonly used as a measure for fetal growth.

What happens next?

Since antimony may harm fetal growth, it is important to identify major sources of exposure to this metal so that exposure can be reduced for pregnant women. In future studies, the team would like to include more ECHO cohorts in their research, explore other indicators of metal exposures (such as placental measures of metals), and identify time periods when toxic and essential metal exposures are most harmful or beneficial for pregnant women and their children.

Where can I learn more?

The full journal article, titled “Prenatal metal(loid) mixtures and birth weight for gestational age: a pooled analysis of three cohorts participating in the ECHO Program” is published in Environment International.

The content is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published March 01, 2022

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ECHO Study Suggests Antimony Exposure During Pregnancy Contributes to Lower Birth Weight

How Does Maternal PFAS Exposure Affect Prenatal Development?

Posted on November 18, 2021December 8, 2023 by Jodi Snare

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are long-lasting chemicals that can be found in many household materials, but not enough is known about pre- and perinatal negative health outcomes associated with PFAS exposure. Additionally, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, such as African American women and children, may be at more risk for PFAS exposure, worsening health disparities. Previous studies have linked PFAS exposure with negative infant health outcomes, such as lower birth weight, but little is known about the specific biological mechanisms that PFAS exposures disrupt during prenatal development.

Che-Jung Chang, PhD (left) and Donghai Liang, PhD (right) served as first and corresponding authors for this publication.

To investigate these mechanisms, Che-Jung Chang, PhD, Donghai Liang, PhD, and their team of ECHO researchers at Emory University looked at pregnancy and exposure data from more than 300 African American women enrolled in the Atlanta ECHO cohort from 2014-2018. Their research, titled “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure, maternal metabolomic perturbation, and fetal growth in African American women: A meet-in-the-middle approach,” is published in Environment International.

As part of this study, the researchers analyzed the levels of PFAS in the participants’ blood samples along with the levels of a variety of small molecules that are known to be essential to prenatal development. The researchers then used statistical methods to look at how these chemical differences affected birth weights. The analysis found that PFAS exposures were linked with lower birth weights in babies that African American women delivered. These lower birth weights may have been associated with changes in the levels of a variety of essential metabolites and molecules, including amino acids, lipid/fatty acid, bile acids, and sex hormones.

The results of this study reveal some of the key chemical mechanisms that may be responsible for the effects of PFAS exposure on prenatal development. “The molecular mechanisms and biomarkers presented in this study warrant future investigation in targeted studies,” said Dr. Liang. “These investigations may help develop early detection and intervention strategies in both public health and clinical settings.”

Going forward, the team will take a closer look at how PFAS exposures are reflected in the levels of key small molecules in newborn babies. Additionally, team members hope to expand their chemical analysis in order to get a more holistic view of how PFAS exposures affect prenatal development.

Access the brief flash talk from the authors in the following video:

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Recent ECHO Publication Uses New Tools to Explore the Impact of Chemical Exposures on Pregnancy

Posted on November 18, 2021December 5, 2023 by Jodi Snare

Chemical exposures from the environment can have a profound effect on health outcomes, especially for pregnant mothers and their babies. Prenatal development is a carefully controlled biological process that is sensitive to environmental chemicals and maternal health.

In order to better understand the impact of chemical exposures on prenatal development, ECHO researchers Brett Doherty, PhD, MSPH, and Megan Romano, PhD, MPH of Dartmouth College used emerging technologies to investigate the link between chemical exposures and prenatal chemical processes. Their research, titled “Chemical co-exposures assessed via silicone wristbands and endogenous plasma metabolomics during pregnancy” is published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

During this investigation, 177 pregnant women enrolled in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (NHBCS) were given silicone wristbands to wear for a week in the early stages of their pregnancy. These wristbands captured snapshots of the chemical exposures the mothers experienced during pregnancy. Three months later, the researchers collected blood samples from the mothers for further analysis.

This analysis utilized metabolomics, a relatively new technology that involves the quantification of all the small molecule building blocks in a sample as a way to determine what chemical processes are occurring in the system.

“We used new tools to investigate how chemicals can affect important small molecules during pregnancy,” said Doherty, “which provided clues to the impacts of those chemicals on the health of the mother and the baby.”

The researchers found that several of the chemical exposures experienced by women in the study were associated with changes in the relative amounts of different important chemical building blocks. Specifically, many of the exposures, including exposures to the insecticide DEET, were associated with changes in the amounts of various amino acids that make up many of the proteins vital to prenatal development.

These results may provide a useful framework for further investigations into the effects of prenatal chemical exposures. “Future investigations may find it helpful to link the impacts we observed to related health processes and outcomes,” Romano noted.

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ECHO Study Links PFAS Exposure During Pregnancy to Lower Birth Weight for Black Mothers

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ECHO Study Links PFAS Exposure During Pregnancy to Lower Birth Weight for Black Mothers

Authors: Che-Jung Chang, Donghai Liang, et al.

Who sponsored this study?

This work was supported by the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program Opportunities and Infrastructure Fund, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Footnote: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

What were the study results?

Some PFAS exposures were linked to a greater risk of low birth weight for babies that African American women delivered. PFAS exposures were also associated with the changes in the levels of small molecules needed for the baby’s development. These molecules included amino acids, lipid/fatty acids, bile acids, and sex hormones.

Footnote: Results reported here are for a single study. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. You should not make changes to your health without first consulting your healthcare professional.

What was the study's impact?

This is one of the first studies researching the connections and relationships between exposures to PFAS, metabolomic changes during the baby’s development, and the baby’s growth. The chemical analysis showed that changes in the levels of the molecules may be responsible for the effects on birth weight. Future studies may target the important chemical mechanisms of the molecules, which may help develop early detection and intervention strategies for babies with low birth weight due to PFAS.

Why was this study needed?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are called “forever chemicals” because they stay in the environment a long time. PFAS exposures have been linked to adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, such as lower birth weights, but there is little information on why this relationship exists and how PFAS exposures affect the body. Also, African American women and children are exposed to higher levels of environmental pollutants and have a higher risk of negative birth outcomes, so studies focusing on this population are very important for reducing heath disparities.

Who was involved?

This study included 313 participants enrolled in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child ECHO cohort between March 2014 and May 2018.

What happened during the study?

Researchers collected blood samples from participants and measured the levels of PFAS and small molecules essential to a baby’s development. Using this information, the researchers calculated how the levels of the molecules changed in response to PFAS exposures and how these exposures affected the birth weight of babies.

What happens next?

The research team is working on additional analyses on the impact of exposures to PFAS before birth and the levels of essential small molecules in newborns. They are also planning to conduct larger analyses in order to get a more holistic view of the connection between PFAS exposures and adverse birth outcomes.

Where can I learn more?

For research updates, follow them on Twitter @donghai_liang, @chejung_chang, @EmoryRollins, and @EmoryHERCULES, and check out the Environmental Metabolomics Research Group’s website.

Access the full journal article, titled “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure, maternal metabolomic perturbation, and fetal growth in African American women: A meet-in-the-middle approach” in Environment International.

The content is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published November 1, 2021

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ECHO Study Links PFAS Exposure During Pregnancy to Lower Birth Weight for Black Mothers

ECHO Study Maps Environmental Exposures During Pregnancy to Molecular Changes Associated with Key Health Processes

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ECHO Study Maps Environmental Exposures During Pregnancy to Molecular Changes Associated with Key Health Processes

Authors: Brett T. Doherty, Megan E. Romano, et al.

Who sponsored this study?

This research was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health, under Award Numbers U2COD023375 (Coordinating Center), U24OD023382 (Data Analysis Center), and UH3 OD023275, and NIH NIEHS P42ES007373. Additional supporting entities include the Dartmouth Center for Molecular Epidemiology NIGMS, P20 GM104416) and the RTI Children’s Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR) Exposure Assessment Hub (NIEHS, U2CES026544, Fennell PI), among others

What were the study results?

Some of the chemical exposures were related to changes in the amounts of certain small molecules in the blood. Specifically, chemical exposures had the most impact on the amounts of a certain amino acids, which are the building blocks of many proteins that are important to both mother and child. When considered together, these molecule changes suggest that some of the chemical exposures may impact key health processes.

Footnote: Results reported here are for a single study. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. You should not make changes to your health without first consulting your healthcare professional.

What was the study's impact?

This study used new tools to study how chemical exposures can affect important small molecules during pregnancy. The study results provide clues to the potential impact of these chemical exposures on the health of both mother and baby. In the future, further investigation of these chemical exposures may reveal more about their link to specific health endpoints.

Why was this study needed?

Pregnant women are exposed to chemicals in their environment. It is important to know how these chemicals might impact their health and the health of their babies. New tools can help us study how these chemicals affect health.

Who was involved?

This study included pregnant women in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (NHBCS), who lived in north-central New England. A total of 177 women participated in this specific study within NHBCS.

What happened during the study?

During early pregnancy, women wore silicone wristbands for one week that captured chemicals in their environment. About three months later, the same women provided a blood sample, which was used to measure important molecules in their blood. Researchers looked at the link between environmental chemicals and the amounts of different molecules in the blood in order to better understand the health effects of these chemical exposures.

What happens next?

Going forward, it may be helpful to look for a link between the changes in molecules and related health processes and outcomes. Researchers may also want to reproduce these findings in other cohorts to better understand these environmental effects.

Where can I learn more?

Access the full journal article, titled “Chemical co-exposures assessed via silicone wristbands and endogenous plasma metabolomics during pregnancy,” is published in the Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology.

Learn about silicone wristbands at the MyExposome website.

Learn about small molecules and the methods to measure them through The UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) Metabolism and Metabolomics Core.

The content is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published October 26, 2021

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ECHO Study Maps Environmental Exposures During Pregnancy to Molecular Changes Associated with Key Health Processes

The Effect of Phthalate Exposure on Placental Function and Gene Expression

Posted on September 13, 2021December 5, 2023 by Jodi Snare

Phthalates are man-made chemicals that are commonly found in plastics, solvents, and personal care products like perfumes, nail polishes, soaps, and hair sprays. Because they are found in so many household products, people can be exposed to them often. Unfortunately, there is little research on how exposure to phthalates can affect a pregnant woman’s health and the health of the developing baby. Investigating how exposures to phthalates affect the placenta, an organ that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the baby, can reveal more about the relationship between these chemical exposures and infant health.

To explore this research gap, Alison Paquette, PhD of Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the ECHO Pathways research team examined the association between phthalate exposure in the second and third trimester and gene expression in the placenta. This information provides insight into how phthalates may affect different placental functions.

To conduct this research, the team gathered urine samples from 760 women enrolled in the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) study in Shelby County, TN. Their placentas were also collected after giving birth. Participants were between 16-40 years old, with relatively healthy pregnancies, and a majority were Black.

The team measured the levels of 16 different phthalates in each urine sample provided during the mother’s second and third trimesters and analyzed the levels of expression for every gene in the placenta after giving birth. Gene expression is a measure of how DNA is converted into proteins, which perform a variety of important cellular functions and play critical roles in development. For each gene, the researchers investigated the link between that gene’s expression and phthalate levels during pregnancy. The researchers used this information to analyze which biological pathways in the placenta are potentially affected by phthalate exposure.

The study found that several phthalates were associated with higher or lower placental gene expression for 38 genes. The team also identified some changes in gene expression that were only significant in male or female infants, indicating that phthalates may alter placental function differently for the different sexes. The team also found 27 specific biological pathways that may have been affected by phthalate exposure, including pathways essential to infant development. For example, the team found phthalate exposure was linked with decreased expression of the genes involved in the generation of fatty acids, which are essential building blocks for organ development. Changes in generating these fatty acids may impact how the fetus grows, particularly the brain, which may have a long-term impact on the child’s health.

“Placental gene expression is an important marker that can tell us if the placenta is performing all its normal jobs correctly. If the placenta is not functioning correctly, it may lead to pregnancy complications that threaten the health of both the mother and baby, or cause changes in fetal growth and development,” said Paquette. “By identifying how chemicals like phthalates alter placental function, it may help us understand the associations between phthalate exposure and some pregnancy complications.”

Moving forward, the research team will study how changes in the placenta are associated with other pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth, within the same population of women. Additional research, paired with new tools and technology, will also help them map out how phthalates may cause these changes in gene expression.

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ECHO Study Links Phthalate Exposure During Pregnancy With Genetic Changes in the Placenta

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ECHO Study Links Phthalate Exposure During Pregnancy With Genetic Changes in the Placenta

Authors: Alison Paquette, Sheela Sathyanarayana, et al.

Who sponsored this study?

This research was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health.

What were the study results?

Researchers found that several phthalates were associated with changes in the expression of 38 genes within the placenta. Some of these changes in gene expression were only significant in male or female infants. This shows that phthalates may change how the placenta works in different ways for the two sexes. The team also studied which biological pathways were connected to these changes in gene expression. They found 27 specific pathways that may have been affected by phthalate exposure. These pathways involved important building blocks for the developing infant.

Footnote: Results reported here are for a single study. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. You should not make changes to your health without first consulting your healthcare professional.

What was the study's impact?

Exposure to phthalate chemicals is related to changes in gene expression in placentas. This is important because these changes in gene expression may affect the growing baby.

Why was this study needed?

There is a lot we still don’t know about how phthalates affect the placenta. Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in plastics and household products. The placenta is an organ in pregnant women that provides their growing baby with oxygen and nutrients. It also helps mothers and babies share information. Exposure to phthalates during pregnancy may harm the placenta and affect how the baby develops. Looking at changes in how genes are expressed when exposed to phthalates during pregnancy can help researchers measure the effect on how the placenta works. Genes are expressed when DNA is converted into proteins, which perform a variety of important functions and play critical roles in development.

Who was involved?

The study involved pregnant women from Memphis, Tennessee who enrolled in the CANDLE study during their pregnancy. Researchers collected urine and placentas from mothers just after their babies were born. These participants were between 16-40 years old, mostly Black, and had relatively healthy pregnancies.

What happened during the study?

Researchers measured the amount of 16 phthalates in urine collected from the participants during the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

Researchers collected the placenta from the mother after having the baby and measured the expression of each gene in the placenta. For each gene, the researchers tried to figure out if higher phthalate concentrations were related to more or less gene expression in the placenta. This information was used to understand how phthalates may have affected how the placenta worked.

What happens next?

This research team will study how changes in the placenta are related to pregnancy complications like preterm birth within this same group of pregnant women. They will also use new tools and technologies to study how phthalates may cause these changes in gene expression.

It is also important to look at the effect of phthalates on other groups of women and see how these changes in placental function impact infant and childhood health.

Where can I learn more?

Read more information about how people are exposed to phthalates and how to decrease exposures.

Access the full journal article, titled “A Comprehensive Assessment of Associations between Prenatal Phthalate Exposure and The Placental Transcriptomic Landscape” in Environmental Health Perspectives.

The content is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published September 3, 2021

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ECHO Study Links Phthalate Exposure During Pregnancy With Genetic Changes in the Placenta

Can Maternal Chemical Exposures Affect Birth Weight?

Posted on August 20, 2021April 11, 2025 by Jodi Snare

Pregnant women often encounter numerous chemicals that may pose a risk to them and their baby. A subset of these chemicals are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC), which can affect health outcomes including growth and development, organ function, metabolism, and reproduction. Thousands of manufactured chemicals in use today are EDCs, and exposures to them are often studied individually. However, this approach is limited since mothers often encounter multiple chemicals in combination (a.k.a., mixtures) during the course of their pregnancy.

To further investigate exposure combinations to EDCs, ECHO researcher John Pearce, PhD of the Medical University of South Carolina and his research team developed a new methodology defined as exposure continuum mapping (ECM) that leverages spatially correlated learning for investigating complex exposure patterns (a.k.a. mixtures) in health studies involving numerous exposures. With this study, Dr. Pearce and his team apply ECM to data collected from a diverse mother-child cohort to identify exposure profiles of real world EDC mixtures and to assess how the discovered profiles associated with birth outcomes.

To begin, the team used data previously collected from over 600 women participating in ECHO that also enrolled in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies from 2009-2012. These data included concentrations of EDCs measured in blood samples collected from mothers 8-12 weeks into their pregnancy and their infant’s weight at birth. Then, the team analyzed these data with ECM in order to identify the range of EDC exposure profiles experienced by moms during their pregnancy and to examine the relationship to the birth weight of their children.

Findings from the study revealed that moms experienced a broad range of chemical exposure profiles with marked variability in exposure magnitudes across chemical classes and exposure frequencies. Evaluation of health effects found that maternal exposure profiles dominated by higher levels of flame-retardants (i.e., polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs) were associated to lower birth weights. Exposure profiles with higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and perfluoroakyl (PFAS) substances were associated with increased birth weights. PCBs are man-made chemicals that are often found in industrial and commercial products, such as electrical and hydraulic equipment and plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products. PFAS substances can often be found in food packaging, commercial household products, drinking water, and living organisms.

“ECM provides a promising framework for supporting studies of other exposure mixtures as the resulting mapping benefits visualization and assessment of relationships in complex data,” said Pearce. “Moving forward, our team will apply ECM to assist investigations of exposure mixtures and other child health outcomes, with particular interest on obesity.”

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ECHO Study Finds Pregnant Women Exposed to Variety of Chemicals—Some May Affect Birth Weights

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ECHO Study Finds Pregnant Women Exposed to Variety of Chemicals—Some May Affect Birth Weights

Author(s): John L. Pearce, Brian Neelon, Michael S. Bloom, Jessie P. Buckley, Cande V. Ananth, Frederica Perera, John Vena, and Kelly Hunt

Who sponsored this study?

The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health.

What were the study results?

Findings from the study revealed that moms experienced a broad range of chemical exposure profiles with marked variability in exposure magnitudes across chemical classes and exposure frequencies. Evaluation of health effects found that maternal exposure profiles dominated by higher levels of flame-retardants (i.e., polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs) were associated to lower birth weights. Exposure profiles with higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and perfluoroakyl (PFAS) substances were associated with increased birth weights. PCBs are man-made chemicals that are often found in industrial and commercial products, such as electrical and hydraulic equipment and plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products. PFAS substances can often be found in food packaging, commercial household products, drinking water, and living organisms.

What was the study's impact?

ECM provides a promising framework for supporting studies of other exposure mixtures as the resulting mapping benefits visualization and assessment of relationships in complex data.

Why was this study needed?

Pregnant women often encounter numerous chemicals that may pose a risk to them and their baby. Studies seeking to identify health effects in populations that experience such complex exposure scenarios remains difficult. With this study, the researchers tried to improve research of multiple exposures by presenting a mixtures methodology, defined as exposure continuum mapping (ECM), that allows investigators to identify complex exposure patterns (i.e., mixtures) within their study population and evaluate complex health effects.

Who was involved?

The team involved a diverse mother-child cohort over 600 women participating in ECHO that also enrolled in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies from 2009-2012.

What happened during the study?

To begin, the team obtained data previously collected from the study population during their participation in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies. These data included concentrations of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) measured in blood samples collected from mothers 8-12 weeks into their pregnancy and their infant’s weight at birth. Then, the team analyzed these data with ECM in order to identify the range of EDC exposure profiles experienced by moms during their pregnancy and to examine the relationship to the birth weight of their children.

What happens next?

The team will apply ECM to assist investigations of exposure mixtures and other child health outcomes, with particular interest on obesity.

Where can I learn more?

For access to software tools see: https://github.com/johnlpearce/

Access the full journal article, titled “Exploring associations between prenatal exposure to multiple endocrine disruptors and birth weight with exposure continuum mapping.”

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published June 2, 2021

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ECHO Study Finds Pregnant Women Exposed to Variety of Chemicals—Some May Affect Birth Weights

ECHO Review Finds Air Pollution May Be Associated with Child Brain Development, Behavior

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ECHO Review Finds Air Pollution May Be Associated with Child Brain Development, Behavior

Author(s): Heather E. Volk, Frederica Perera, Joseph M. Braun, Samantha L. Kingsley, Kim Gray, Jessie Buckley, Jane E. Clougherty, Lisa A. Croen, Brenda Eskenazi, Megan Herting, Allan C. Just, Itai Kloog, Amy Margolis, Leslie A. McClure, Rachel Miller, Sarah Levine, Rosalind Wright

Who sponsored this study?

This research was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health.

What were the study results?

ECHO provides a unique opportunity to study how air pollution can affect children’s brain development and behavior in a large, diverse study population. It also has the ability to study pollutant exposures by geographic area, which has been a limitation in previous research.

What was the study's impact?

This study sets up the possibility of future work in ECHO on the effect of prenatal air pollution exposure on brain development in children.

Why was this study needed?

This study summarized information on different ways to measure prenatal air pollution exposure and what we know about how air pollution affects children’s behavior and brain development. It also helps create a plan for ECHO to study how being exposed to air pollution in the womb may affect children’s behavior.

Who was involved?

This paper uses summary data from ECHO to learn if there may be enough participants in the future to study how air pollution can affect children’s brain development and behavior.

What happened during the study?

Researchers reviewed earlier papers on air pollution and child development to summarize what those studies found. Then, they used that information to develop a plan that ECHO might use to fill gaps in that earlier work to advance children’s health.

What happens next?

Future studies will do the work described here – to examine air pollution exposure in ECHO participants by geographic area to determine how air pollution can affect the brain.

Where can I learn more?

Access the full journal article , titled “Prenatal air pollution exposure and neurodevelopment: A review and blueprint for a harmonized approach within ECHO.”

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published: May 2021

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ECHO Review Finds Air Pollution May Be Associated with Child Brain Development, Behavior