Chemical Exposures

BackgroundSeveral environmental contaminants were shown to possibly influence fetal growth, generally from single exposure family studies, which are prone to publication bias and confounding by co-exposures. The exposome paradigm offers perspectives to avoid selective reporting of findings and to control for confounding by co-exposures. We aimed to characterize associations of fetal growth with the pregnancy chemical and external exposomes.MethodsWithin the Human Early-Life Exposome project, 131 prenatal exposures were assessed using biomarkers and environmental models in 1287 mother–child pairs from six European cohorts. We investigated their associations with fetal growth using a deletion-substitution-addition (DSA) algorithm considering all exposures simultaneously, and an exposome-wide association study (ExWAS) considering each exposure independently. We corrected for exposure measurement error and tested for exposure–exposure and sex–exposure interactions.ResultsThe DSA model i...

BackgroundSeveral environmental contaminants were shown to possibly influence fetal growth, generally from single exposure family studies, which are prone to publication bias and confounding by co-exposures. The exposome paradigm offers perspectives to avoid selective reporting of findings and to control for confounding by co-exposures. We aimed to characterize associations of fetal growth with the pregnancy chemical and external exposomes.MethodsWithin the Human Early-Life Exposome project, 131 prenatal exposures were assessed using biomarkers and environmental models in 1287 mother–child pairs from six European cohorts. We investigated their associations with fetal growth using a deletion-substitution-addition (DSA) algorithm considering all exposures simultaneously, and an exposome-wide association study (ExWAS) considering each exposure independently. We corrected for exposure measurement error and tested for exposure–exposure and sex–exposure interactions.ResultsThe DSA model i...

Anne Steinemann, enabled me to complete this dissertation. She is unsurpassed as an advisor and mentor, as well as a scholar, instructor, and public servant. I think of her as "the 1001 Hats of Anne Steinemann," and never has anyone worn so many fabulous hats better. I remain amazed and forever grateful. From the very beginning, Professor Anne Steinemann and Professor Stanley Caress understood what I wanted to do with respect to preventing chemical exposures at a time when most people didn't "get it." With their encouragement, my investigation received support from several sources: the Georgia Garden Club, the E.P.A. STAR Fellowship Program, the National Association of State Garden Clubs, and the Kibbey Memorial Fund of the Northern California Chapter of Architects, Designers, and Planners for Social Responsibility. My thanks go out to the members of my Doctoral Committee, who managed to identify content problems and provide suggestions amid their busy schedules. My sincere gratitude to the many people I interviewed who were related to the Ecocase, Greencase, and various environmental and public health organizations. I apologize that I cannot state your real names. Please know that I have done my best to represent your experiences, and I am truly sorry for any errors in the text. Many wonderful people reviewed various drafts of this dissertation, leading me to strengthen the flow of ideas. Thank you so much for taking the time to understand and question my evolving ideas. vi My dissertation buddy, Kathryn Frank, held my hand on the roller coaster ride that has been my life. My parents have always been only a phone call away for consultation on the smallest of matters. My family supported me, and I supported them-sometimes on my hip while I multitasked. I thank my husband Dr. Asim Zia, Professor of Community Development and Applied Economics at the University of Vermont, for allowing me to pursue my dreams in my own time and way. And, I am grateful for those who showed me that the sun is my numinous shadow.