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Centers of Excellence in Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research

EPA Grant Number: R826709
Center: CECEHDPR - University of California at Berkeley
Center Director: Eskenazi, Brenda
Title: Centers of Excellence in Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research
Investigators: Eskenazi, Brenda
Institution: University of California - Berkeley
EPA Project Officer: Fields, Nigel
Project Period: August 1, 1998 through July 31, 2003
Project Amount: $2,830,746
RFA: Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (1998)
Research Category: Children's Health , Health Effects

Description:

Objective:

The goal of this Center is to establish a forum for the multi-disciplinary approach to understand and reduce the environmental health risks of children.  This Center is a joint partnership between the University, the local and State health departments, community clinics, and our community organization, South County Outreach Effort (SCORE).  We have brought together a diverse team of specialists representing many disciplines to address the special environmental issues of children.

For this proposal, we have focused on the environmental risks of a largely understudied population of latino farmworkers in Salinas Valley in Monterey County, California.  California, with the largest agricultural output of the 50 states, uses 25% of the national total (over 210 million pounds) of pesticides annually, with over 725,000 pounds of organophosphate (OP) pesticides used in the Salinas Valley alone.  Furthermore, approximately I million California residents are farmworkers, with Monterey County leading the numbers.

Recently, several studies have demonstrated pesticide contamination in children's homes from agricultural areas.  It is estimated that 20-60% of children aged l to 5 years may be exposed to unsafe levels of OP pesticides.  Nevertheless, to date, few studies have assessed the extent of children's pesticide exposure, and no studies have examined whether there are adverse health effects of low-level chronic exposure.  Farmworker children are exposed by the usual pathways i.e., by ingestion of contaminated foods and from home pest control, as well as through pesticide drift from nearby fields and from the take-home exposures of their parents.  Studying this high risk population, we can ascertain whether chronic, low-level exposures may be potentially hazardous.

We will interview and bank biologic and environmental samples from a cohort of 550 pregnant women and their children, who will be followed for 3 years.  Our specific aims are: 1) to estimate levels of in utero and postnatal exposures of the child by measuring biologic and ambient samples; 2) to determine whether exposure to pesticides is associated with adverse effects on neurodevelopment and growth, and increased respiratory disease including asthma; and 3) to initiate and evaluate the impact of a 'Healthy Homes' intervention on the reduction of pesticide exposure to children.  Our ultimate goal is to translate research findings into a reduction of pesticide exposure to children, and to reduce the incidence of environmentally related childhood disease.


Journal Articles: 7 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Other center views: All 110 publications 7 publications in selected types All 7 journal articles

Type Citation Sub Project Document Sources
Journal Article Bradman A, Eskenazi B, Sutton P, Athanasoulis M, Goldman LR. Iron deficiency associated with higher blood lead in children living in contaminated environments. Environmental Health Perspectives 2001;109(10):1079-1084. R826709 (2001)
R826709 (2002)
R831710 (2005)
  • Abstract from PubMed
  • Full-text: Environmental Health Perspectives Full Text
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  • Other: Environmental Health Perspectives PDF
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  • Journal Article Bradman A, Barr DB, Claus Henn BG, Drumheller T, Curry C, Eskenazi B. Measurement of pesticides and other toxicants in amniotic fluid as a potential biomarker of prenatal exposure: a validation study. Environmental Health Perspectives 2003;111(14):1779-1782. R826709 (2001)
    R826709 (2002)
    R831710 (2004)
    R831710 (2005)
    R831710C001 (2004)
  • Abstract from PubMed
  • Full-text: Environmental Health Perspectives Full Text
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  • Other: Environmental Health Perspectives PDF
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  • Journal Article Castorina R, Bradman A, McKone TE, Barr DB, Harnly ME, Eskenazi B. Cumulative organophosphate pesticide exposure and risk assessment among pregnant women living in an agricultural community: a case study from the CHAMACOS cohort. Environmental Health Perspectives 2003;111(13):1640-1648. R826709 (2001)
    R826709 (2002)
    R831710 (2004)
    R831710 (2005)
    R831710C001 (2004)
  • Abstract from PubMed
  • Full-text: Environmental Health Perspectives Full Text
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  • Other: Environmental Health Perspectives PDF
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  • Journal Article Eskenazi B, Bradman A, Castorina R. Exposures of children to organophosphate pesticides and their potential adverse health effects. Environmental Health Perspectives 1999;107(Suppl 3):409-419. R826709 (2001)
    R826709 (2002)
    R826709C001 (1999)
    R826709C001 (2000)
    R826709C002 (1999)
    R826709C002 (2000)
    R826709C003 (1999)
    R826709C003 (2000)
    R831710 (2005)
  • Abstract from PubMed
  • Associated PubMed link
  • Full-text: Environmental Health Perspectives Full Text
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  • Journal Article Eskenazi B, Bradman A. Longitudinal investigation of pesticides and allergen exposures to children living in agricultural communities in California. Urban Health and Development Bulletin 2001;4(2):33-44. R826709 (2001)
    R826709 (2002)
    R831710 (2005)
    not available
    Journal Article Harley K, Eskenazi B, Block G. The association of time in the US and diet during pregnancy in low-income women of Mexican descent. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2005;19(2):125-134. R826709 (2001)
    R826709 (2002)
    R831710 (2004)
    R831710 (2005)
    R831710C001 (2004)
  • Abstract from PubMed
  • Full-text: InterScience Full Text
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  • Other: InterScience PDF
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  • Journal Article Holland NT, Smith MT, Eskenazi B, Bastaki M. Biological sample collection and processing for molecular epidemiological studies. Reviews in Mutation Research 2003;543(3):217-234. R826709 (2001)
    R826709 (2002)
    R831710 (2004)
    R831710 (2005)
  • Abstract from PubMed
  • Full-text: Science Direct Full Text
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  • Other: Science Direct PDF
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  • Supplemental Keywords:

    Water, Geographic Area, Scientific Discipline, Health, RFA, Risk Assessments, Analytical Chemistry, Health Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, Mercury, Ecological Risk Assessment, Children's Health, Biochemistry, State, exposure assessment, insecticides, risk assessment, California (CA), developmental neurotoxicology, neurodevelopmental toxicity, developmental disorders, health effects, epidemelogy, children's environmental health, prenatal exposure, farmworkers, age-related differences, harmful environmental agents, human health risk, epidemeology, developmental neurotoxicity, agricultural community, community-based intervention, dietary exposure, pesticide exposure, pregnancy, environmental health, children, environmental risks, pesticides, risk, latino, biomedical research, growth & development, children's vulnerablity, neurobehavioral effects, environmental health hazard, human exposure, Human Health Risk Assessment, neurotoxicity, farm worker

    Progress and Final Reports:
    2001 Progress Report
    2002 Progress Report

    Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
    R826709C001 Community Based Intervention to Reduce Pesticide Exposures to Young Children
    R826709C002 The Epidemiological Investigation of the Effects of Pesticide Exposure on Neurodevelopmental, Growth, and Respiratory Health of Farmworker Children
    R826709C003 A Comprehensive Assessment of Sources of Pesticide Contamination, Concentrations in Pathways, and Exposure-prone Behavior

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    The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.


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