Children's Health

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent environmental contaminants that pose a significant public health risk including reproductive toxicity partly because they are endocrine disruptors. The lipophilic nature of PCBs increases the risk of developmental exposure due to placenta and breast milk transfer.

Background: Asthma is a leading cause of childhood morbidity in the U.S. and a significant public health concern. The prenatal period is a critical window during which environmental influences, including maternal occupational exposures, can shape child respiratory health.

Background The two main seasons with highest concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the state of Washington (WA) are wintertime and periods of wildfire smoke.

The school environment is one of the primary locations where children spend time and is known to present numerous health hazards. Poor air quality is a known public health risk, especially for children, impacting health, attendance, and learning outcomes, but schools face many challenges in improving the school environment.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) play an important role in reducing health disparities, especially in low resourced communities.

Under the guidance of the NW Pediatric Environmental Health Speciality Unit (PEHSU), we developed two educational resources regarding Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and potential exposures and health impacts on children.

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are extensively used to support agricultural practices in Washington State. OP exposure is associated with both asthmatic populations and agricultural communities. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the correlation between OP pesticide exposure in agricultural community, with respiratory health outcomes, associated with asthma.

The 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) named air pollution as the number one environmental threat to public health. Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is a sizable contributor to global air pollution, and diesel exhaust (DE) is a major source of TRAP (Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, 2018).

Introduction: Gentrification is a public health crisis and significant environmental injustice. Rapid gentrification of Seattle unequally burdens and displaces families of color further south in King County. Gentrification changes the environment, forcing readjustments that can compromise the continuity of education, healthcare, housing and employment.

Diarrheal disease remains a persistent global health threat and is ranked as the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five, with approximately 525,000 child deaths worldwide annually.

Phthalates are a class of ubiquitous synthetic chemicals found in commonly used products, leading to widespread human exposure. A growing body of evidence demonstrates the adverse association between phthalates and asthma, a leading chronic condition among children.

Liver is a critical organ for nutrient homeostasis and xenobiotic biotransformation.

Persistent environmental pollutants (POPs), such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are ubiquitously detected in the environment despite removal from commercial and industrial use.

The goal for environmental justice is for everyone to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, work, play and worship. Community-academic partnerships have been effective in addressing environmental health disparities in various settings.

In 2018, 3.2% of adults reported currently using an e-cigarette (vaping) at least once in a 30-day period. 20.8% and 4.9% of high school and middle school students, respectively, also reported using e-cigarettes during that same year.

Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is one of the least tested health effects of the more than 80,000 chemicals registered for use today. In order to more efficiently test chemicals for DNT, more knowledge is needed on mechanisms that trigger adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

This dissertation focuses on developing frameworks and supporting evidence for the prioritization of chemicals found in children’s consumer products. Toxic chemicals found in children’s consumer products can impact child health and development.

Pediatric care guidelines recommend assessment of children for lead exposure during routine child care in the first two years of life. In Washington State, pediatric lead screening rates are among the lowest in the nation.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. As of 2015, about 3 million adults in the United States suffer from IBD. Health care costs in IBD patients are about 4 times more than in non-IBD patients.

Newborn infants delivered in a compromised health state often require transport between secondary and primary care hospitals.

Cryptosporidium and giardia are diarrhea-causing microscopic parasites transmitted through ingestion of fecally contaminated water. Both parasites can have a significant impact on the health and financial burden of communities.

Recent studies have linked phthalates with type 2 diabetes, but limited research exists on the potential association between phthalates and gestational diabetes (GDM), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and continuous glucose tolerance measures during pregnancy.

Escalating prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in recent decades has triggered increasing efforts in understanding the role played by environmental risk factors as a way to address this widespread public health concern. Several epidemiological studies show associations between developmental exposure to traffic-related air pollution and increased ASD risk.