Timescales of developmental toxicity impacting on research and needs for intervention

Abstract

Much progress has happened in understanding developmental vulnerability to preventable environmental hazards. Along with the improved insight, the perspective has widened, and developmental toxicity now involves latent effects that can result in delayed adverse effects in adults or at old age and additional effects that can be transgenerationally transferred to future generations. Although epidemiology and toxicology to an increasing degree are exploring the adverse effects from developmental exposures in human beings, the improved documentation has resulted in little progress in protection, and few environmental chemicals are currently regulated to protect against developmental toxicity, whether it be neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption or other adverse outcome. The desire to obtain a high degree of certainty and verification of the evidence used for decision-making must be weighed against the costs and necessary duration of research, as well as the long-term costs to human health because of delayed protection of vulnerable early-life stages of human development and, possibly, future generations. Although two-generation toxicology tests may be useful for initial test purposes, other rapidly emerging tools need to be seriously considered from computational chemistry and metabolomics to CLARITY-BPA-type designs, big data and population record linkage approaches that will allow efficient generation of new insight; epigenetic mechanisms may necessitate a set of additional regulatory tests to reveal such effects. As reflected by the Prenatal Programming and Toxicity (PPTOX) VI conference, the current scientific understanding and the timescales involved require an intensified approach to protect against preventable adverse health effects that can harm the next generation and generations to come. While further research is needed, the main emphasis should be on research translation and timely public health intervention to avoid serious, irreversible and perhaps transgenerational harm.

Exposure to Toenail Heavy Metals and Child Behavior Problems in Nine-Year-Old Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…It is known that living closer to motorways, old paint around the houses, and dust particles expose people to heavy metals such as Pb. There is compelling evidence that for children an early adverse environment with Pb exposure can have lifelong effects on the emergence of conduct disorder, substance abuse, and physical and mental health problems [57]. Within this study, Pb levels were higher than the LRV [39], but we did not find any associations with behavior problems.…”

Mikroplastik: vom Tiegel auf den Teller

“…Potential mechanisms for transgenerational effects include different nongenomic mechanisms, mainly DNA methylation changes (see [65] for review of mechanisms implicated). The urgency of research in this area has recently been emphasised both in terms of human health [263] and for environmental concerns [264].…”

Generation of a Triple-Transgenic Zebrafish Line for Assessment of Developmental Neurotoxicity during Neuronal Differentiation

“…The developing brain is more vulnerable than the adult brain to most chemicals [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Exposure to neurotoxicants during development has been implicated in various neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diseases, including autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, learning disabilities, and schizophrenia [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”