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Transcript: Columbia Center Video
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Columbia Children’s Center Video – Transcript
Total time: 2:24
NARRATOR: The communities of Harlem, Washington Heights and the South Bronx have disproportionately high rates of childhood asthma, low birthweight and other developmental problems.
Childhood cancer is also a growing concern nationwide.
The causes of these diseases are complex and not well understood.
But environmental contaminants are believed to be contributing factors.
These include emissions from cars
diesel buses
power plants
incinerators
secondhand tobacco smoke
pesticides
polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBS
lead
and allergens in the home from cockroaches and rodents.
Because they are rapidly developing, the fetus and young child are more vulnerable to the effects of these toxins.
And communities of color are disproportionately exposed to many pollutants such as air pollution and lead.
WOMAN #1: How’ve you been?
WOMAN #2: Good, how are you?
WOMAN #1: Very good, thank you.
NARRATOR: To learn how exposures during pregnancy and the first years of life may be affecting children’s health, the Center is enrolling 560 pregnant, non-smoking women into a multiyear study.
WOMAN #1: Have you used any pesticides here in your home? I’m
going to read you a list.
NARRATOR: The women are interviewed about their exposures and wear
a small personal monitor to collect samples of the air they breathe.
Samples of indoor and outdoor air and dust in the home are also obtained and analyzed for pollutants and allergens.
LAB TECHNICIAN: So you just want to drop it in, like that.
NARRATOR: When the baby is born, researchers collect samples of maternal blood and fetal blood from the umbilical cord.
The samples are then tested in the laboratory for evidence of exposure and early signs of risk.
WOMAN #3: Thank you!
NARRATOR: At birth and periodically during the child’s early years, the research team evaluates his or her developmental and respiratory health.
Working with community partners, Center investigators hope to chart the links between in utero and childhood exposures and children’s risk of developing asthma, developmental disorders and cancer.
That knowledge will be used to prevent these serious diseases.
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