MoBa-PlastChem: Prenatal exposure to plastic chemicals and health and development in children and adolescents from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study
Project
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The purpose of this study is to investigate whether prenatal exposure to environmental toxicants, originating from plastic production or products, is associated with reproductive health problems in children and adolescents.
Summary
Plastic products are everywhere in our daily lives, from food packaging to household items. However, these products often contain harmful chemicals like phthalates, bisphenols, flame retardants, and PFAS, which can seep out and contaminate food, water, and even the air we breathe. These chemicals can disrupt our hormone systems, especially during critical periods of development like pregnancy and childhood.
Our research aims to understand weather environmental toxicants, originating from plastic production or products (phenols, organophosphate flame retardants, phthalates and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) during pregnancy later affects health in children and youth.
We are particularly interested in whether these chemicals are linked to health issues such as developmental disorders (like ADHD and autism), reproductive problems (such as birth defects in boys or altered puberty development in boys and girls), and gender-identity related health issues. We will also investigate the role of sex steroid hormones during pregnancy and how plastic chemicals may cause endocrine alterations that mediate relationships with health outcomes.
Our studies will help determine if these common chemicals contribute to health problems and guide future regulations to protect public health, especially for vulnerable groups like pregnant women and their children.
Project leader
Gro Dehli Andersen, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Project participants
Bonnie Auyeung, The University of Edinburgh
Christos Symeonides, Minderoo Foundation
Sarah Dunlop, Minderoo Foundation
Stephanie Engel, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Anne Lise Brantsæter, Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Cathrine Thomsen, Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Line Småstuen Haug, Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Amrit Kaur Sakhi, Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Ragnhild Eek Brandlistuen, Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Guido Biele, Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Mari Landås Warp, Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Hans Ivar Hanevik, Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Thea Karoline Walstad Grindstad, Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Ida Henriette Caspersen, Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Adriano Winterton, Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Siri Eldevik Håberg, Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Maria Christine Magnus, Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Per Minor Magnus, Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Thea Steen Skogheim, Health Services Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Heidi Aase, Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Start
01.01.2023
End
31.12.2028
Status
Active
Approvals
Regional committees for medical and health research ethics
Project owner/ Project manager
Norwegian Institute of Public Health