Main description:

This book offers valuable insights into the latest concepts and findings from epidemiologic, clinical and basic studies in the burgeoning area of early-life environmental exposure and diseases. The book is divided into five parts, starting with an overview of environmental exposure measurement and evaluation, followed by a review of the effects of exposure to various substances like tobacco smoke, pesticides and metals as well as stress on offspring's health. It then discusses the developmental origins of a range of childhood diseases that affect growth, neural development and the immune system, and highlights the importance of longitudinal studies that measure exposure at potentially sensitive time points during childhood. It also provides up-to-date evidence of the intergenerational/transgenerational effects of early-life environmental exposure, especially via genetic and epigenetic pathways. Allowing readers to gain a thorough understanding of the predominating aspects of early-life environmental exposure and diseases, the book also provides a basis for developing environmental and health policies that could have wide and long-term impacts on human health.

Contents:

Preface.- Environmental Exposure Measurements and Evaluations.- Prenatal Smoke Exposure and Child Health.- Prenatal Pesticide Exposure and Child Health.- Prenatal Metal Exposure and Child Health.- Prenatal Stress and Child Health.- The Special Vulnerabilities of Child to Environmental Hazards.- Early-life Environmental Influences on Growth.- Early-life Environmental Influences on Neural Development.- Early-life Environmental Influences on Allergic Diseases.- Early-life Social and Economic Adversities on Health.- Endocrine Disrupting Chemical Exposure and Later-onset Diseases.- Paternal Specific Exposure and Child Health.- Molecular Mechanism of Early-life Chemical Exposure Induced Harmful Effects.- Transgenerational Effects on Developmental Origins of Diseases.