![]() These data have shown a tenfold increase in the last 40 years about 3% of developmental disabilities may be a consequence of environmental exposure to neurotoxicants and another 25% of the interaction between environmental hazards and individual genetic predisposition 7, 8. ![]() Average prevalence in Asia, Europe and North America varies between 1 and 2% 6. A comparison in temporal trends showed that the prevalence of diagnosed autism has risen dramatically in the U.S over the last several decades, mostly since the 1980s, and continues to trend upward. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one child every 6–8 suffers from autistic spectrum disorders in the USA 5. According to the statistics on the incidence of autism from the U.S. In two Regions of Central Italy, about 1.3% of the Italian elementary and middle-school children were reported to suffer from severe ADHD 4. Similar results were observed among US children 3. Neurodevelopmental disorders including autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities and behavior, affect 10–15% of the births 1 and are constantly increasing on a global scale 2. Environmental Protection Agency’s priority list of hazardous substances where arsenic and lead are ranked as first and second respectively. Overall, we were able to test that higher blood lead, urinary arsenic concentrations and their interaction increase the risk of neurobehavioral problems. A significant interaction between lead and arsenic was observed, with a synergistic effect of the two metals increasing the risk of attention problems, aggressive behavior, externalizing problems and total problems. Urinary arsenic showed an impact on anxiety and depression, somatic problems, attention problems and rule breaking behavior. Blood lead mainly influenced social problems, aggressive behavior, externalizing and total problems. Whole blood, urine and hair were collected for metal analyses, while the Child Behavior Checklist and the Social Responsiveness Scale, administered to the main teacher and the mothers were considered to identify behavioral problems in children. In this cross-sectional study we assessed the neurobehavioral effect of the exposure to trace elements including lead, mercury, cadmium, manganese, arsenic and selenium and their interactions among 299 schoolchildren residing in the heavily polluted Taranto area in Italy. Some elements like heavy metals are known to be neurotoxic. Neurodevelopmental disorders are constantly increasing on a global scale. ![]()
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