Effects of early-life exposure to common food and drinking water contaminants on child health and development

Early life development is highly dependent on adequate nutrition, but also susceptible to toxic insult.

Toxic metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, manganese, and methylmercury (a toxic form of mercury), are commonly present in food, e.g., cereals, vegetables and fish, and drinking water.

Lead and methylmercury are known to impair cognitive development at very low exposure levels, but little is known of the impact of the other metals with similar effects at the molecular level.

Our research aims at closing the immense knowledge gap concerning effects of early-life exposure to metal mixtures on child growth, cognition, and behavior, i.e., health effects of major current concern in modern society.We are developing a toxicity arm in a newly established mother-child cohort, NICE, at Sunderby hospital, Norrbotten.

We have discovered unexpectedly wide variations in the dietary exposure to cadmium, lead, methylmercury, and fluoride (mainly drinking water) during pregnancy, and identified adverse associations with pregnancy outcomes and thyroid function, independent of the identified prevalent deficiency of iodine and selenium in both mothers and young infants.

We now seek funding to evaluate the impact of the toxic metals on growth (0-4-years), thyroid, cognition, and behavior at 4-years.

At the end of 2022, we have about 600 children tested by Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, parents-completed questionnaires (CBCL, ABAS-2, SRS-2), and blood and urine sampled.